Brooklyn Research worked with Brittany Nelson on her piece “everything but the signature is me”, modifying an existing Smith Corona typewriter from the late 1960s to automatically type a textual piece created by the artist. The piece was shown at Brittany Nelson’s exhibition at Patron Gallery from February 5th to March 30th 2024.
From Patron Gallery:
The exhibition opens with the persistent melody of everything but the signature is me (2023), an automaton typewriter, programmed by Nelson to perpetually dictate Tiptree’s excerpted term of endearment for Le Guin; “Starbear.” This coded evidence of Tiptree’s unrequited desire is extracted from their original context, scattered over the page in blue ink. The incessant transfer of the name by a non-human writer, suggests how Tiptree’s own use of a pseudonym functions as a metaphor. The letter, much like the format of science fiction, is a truth written in the present to apply to a future sense.
Brooklyn Research designed, built, and programmed the automation for the typewriter, and worked with Brittany Nelson to build some custom applications so that she could integrate her vision into the piece.
photos courtesy of Patron Gallery