Much of Lo_y’s work is poetic and dynamic in its conception rather than in its functionality. The deliberate assembling of text & character symbols in earlier works has referred to the formal possibilities of the code behind digital content, making it its subject. These are abstract works, stripped of narrative, subjectivity or political slant.
030807 marks a new direction for L_oy, as previous work has consisted of high-colour, static HTML code texts on strongly contrasting backgrounds. I have enjoyed the austere Greenburgian qualities of these earlier works, where the only interaction required to view them is to scroll down or across on your browser. This piece, in some ways, is more ambiguous in its pursuit of bare-bone aesthetics. With this work (unusually, made in Flash), the formal essence and non-representational focus are revealed by the user’s exploration of the page. As one clicks and moves one’s mouse over the organic silhouette forms, ranged in a grid across the page, they morph to reveal sigils.
In a recent message on August Highland’s site, I noticed a statement from Lo_y. It went, “well, there’s not much to say. Lo_y is only what Lo_y writes. No history, no stories, no explanations…“
So I better shut my mouth.