“The Mother of all Demons” is a selection of three digitally crafted images printed on faux leather, giving them a skin-like texture. To produce the images I disassembled my old personal computer and excavated the motherboard. A closeup of the circuit board is the starting point for the images which have been manipulated, distorted, glitched and layered in various programs. The straight lines of the motherboard turn into waves or flames and give the impression of chaos and ferocity. Rusty nails, gathered from burnt firewood, are used to pin the images onto the wall.
The images are a reflection on the natural side of technology and computers, highlighting and questioning the maternal and creative dimension of the term ‘motherboard’ (given for its hub-like quality and the possibility to insert extension-devices), as well as juxtaposing the solid green protective solder mask of a motherboard with the soft and pliable texture of leather.
The title, “The Mother of all Demons”, is a haunting reference to and reimagination of the “Mother of all Demos”, the first demonstration of many of the fundamental elements of modern personal computers by Douglas Engelbart in San Francisco in 1968.
Photo by Lynn Theisen. Exhibition View, LEAP2022, Rotondes