Signal To Noise is a circular installation composed of 512 original mechanical split-flaps from Udine, arranged in four horizontal rows. Governed by a generative algorithm, their motion and rhythms immerse the spectator in a changing maze of characters and in the nostalgic sound of these precursors of information displays.

The split-flaps recombine the letters of the alphabet while the system searches the moving field for recognisable words. Once a word emerges, its corresponding displays stand still for several iterations. Standstill thereby becomes signal, while motion is noise.

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The phrase “Why God dyes,” which we came across by chance, exemplifies an emergent rather than intentionally written message. This auto-poetic machine produces and swallows information. Here, chance becomes meaning.