Kunsthal Aarhus. Photo: David Stjernholm

Lunar

Installation
Five generative algorithms
Duration: infinite
(2024)

The installation Lunar features five generative algorithms that transform elements of the Apollo 11 computer program into oracular, concrete-poetic pattern machines. Originally developed by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the moon landing program was later transformed by weavers into copper weavings. These weavings represented the program’s binary code (zeros and ones) and were integrated into the spacecraft computer.

In the installation, one algorithm converts the program’s binary code into a visual pattern, while another interweaves program comments into oracle-like text. This visual meditation draws connections between the moon landing’s many contributors: weavers, engineers, astronauts, and programmers. By employing a systematic principle of randomness at the edge of human control, the work continuously generates new linguistic and visual constellations in a potentially infinite movement, orienting the piece toward the future.