Paul Elsner asked for help with this long term installation made out of 75 custom-built elements, located in the centre of Dresden on top of an old transformer station.
All lighted signs usually belong to companies and display content according to their needs. Restzeichen as a piece of art in the public sphere enables an easy and very effective access to this very visible but rather shielded means of expression. It invites artists, lyrics, and poets to develop and suggest ideas using its quite unique possiblities.
An adapted version of the standard arabic alphabet has been created in order to write texts, but as well non-verbal visual and figurative characters are applicable. The focus lies on working with the process of formating, shifting and dissolving terms into fragments. Using the possibility of moving texts results into intermediate states and symbols, which generate new connections and unknown alliances and so point towards the shift in our communication systems and the resulting change in perception of our surroundings.

credits
Concept Paul Elsner

PCB Design & electronics Matthias Singer and André Zibell
programming Analog Native