Yucef Merhi Venezuelan, b. 1977
Compassion, 2020
5 CRT TVs, 5 Atari 2600 game consoles, custom Atari cartridges, directional sound system
80 x 60 x 70 in.
Copyright Yucef Merhi
Photo: Zachary Balber
Further images
Compassion is an installation that responds to the turbulent times we are living through. It integrates language, video games, sound, and consciousness. The work is comprised of five CRT TVs...
Compassion is an installation that responds to the turbulent times we are living through. It integrates language, video games, sound, and consciousness. The work is comprised of five CRT TVs with transparent cases connected to five Atari 2600 game consoles and a directional sound system. Each Atari device holds a cartridge programmed and assembled by the artist. These custom cartridges display words depicting one of Merhi's epiphanies: "Compassion is the Divine Compass."
The experience is permeated with Tibetan bell sounds played with a state-of-the-art ultrasound speaker. The clear-case TVs presented in this installation allude to the prototype of the very first commercial TV introduced by RCA at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Despite their beauty, these televisions were originally produced for jails to prevent smuggling. All the TV sets used in this installation belonged to prison inmates across the US. In this sense, Compassion operates as a transformative tool to redeem our own obsolescence and toxic behaviors.
The experience is permeated with Tibetan bell sounds played with a state-of-the-art ultrasound speaker. The clear-case TVs presented in this installation allude to the prototype of the very first commercial TV introduced by RCA at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Despite their beauty, these televisions were originally produced for jails to prevent smuggling. All the TV sets used in this installation belonged to prison inmates across the US. In this sense, Compassion operates as a transformative tool to redeem our own obsolescence and toxic behaviors.