ALEXANDER HAHN

electronic media artist

Video

LUDLOW COTTAGE #174

(1983, 2:15’, computer animation, SD video, stereo)


Computer animation for the TI-99 4a home computer, written in Texas Instruments Extended Basic with own and found code, set within my apartment. It begins with a simple bot crawling across the floor toward a corner, followed by a real-time zoom into a dark aquarium populated by fish. Owing to the limited processing speed available at the time, this zoom unfolds in discrete incremental steps rather than one smooth motion. The calm atmosphere is shattered by a sudden burst of external noise, causing the fish to visibly freak out. It concludes with the caption "Outside Noise Overload" and the appearance of a schematic construction vehicle, then the animation collapses with flashing and scrolling lines of code. 


In subsequent iterations, this foundational work evolved into more advanced 3D CGI representations of the apartment, which the I dubbed “The Artist's Studio as Encryption Lab." Through the use of texture mapping—featuring images drawn from various locations I visited—the apartment was transformed into a "memory palace." I also produced an interactive piece called "Luminous Point," allowing viewers to navigate through different temporal strata within the diminutive apartment environment.