VertexList and Rhizome co-present a solo exhibition by Dallas-based artist Paul Slocum who turns outdated technologies, from Ataris to dot matrix printers, into expressive and technically innovative art works. Throughout all his work, variously video, sculpture, installatio and sound, the artist fuses nostalgia with a critical take on the rapid obsolescence of technologies.

DIY Computing includes five works new and recent works. In the looping, 60 second video Time Lapse Homepage, Slocum visualizes a website’s transformation through screenshots and sound clips that shows the aesthetic evolution of his personal homepage since it was first launched in 1997. Deep House for Band & Choir (2006) is an installation that involves more than 1970 sheets of music and a loop of the music playing. He composed the piece for the instrumentation of a high school band and choir using software for house music. On DC Power Supply (2005), Slocum recreates Jr. High School book cover doodles into a power supply circuit and LEDs. In the installation Century Caller (2005), Slocum plays with memory, time, and obsolescence through telephone calls automated to play a set of melodies made with samples of my his voice. In Last Chair (2006), Slocum performs as a violin player at an Elton John concert waiting to join in at the end of the chorus—or rather as what he believe this person might be like. In this piece, and throughout his work, Slocum exacts a slight modification of a pop cultural artifact through a gesture that is both personal and also broadly resonant.

A live performance by Cory Arcangel will take place at the opening reception, Saturday October 14th at 9pm

Paul Slocum’s page here Cory Arcangel’s Page here