ascii archeology

A piece of engraved glass showing an ASCII art landscape, held up to a window.

engraved glass, adhesive film / february 2025

Ascii archeology is an engraved glass piece based on a digitally generated landscape. The original image file was converted into ASCII code – a form of digital compression where visual information is reduced to pure characters. By engraving the ASCII image into glass, the digital moment is transformed into a lasting physical form. The work connects digital compression with material preservation and raises the question of how information can be conserved through condensation.

A close-up shot of the engraved ASCII art on the glass, showing the texture and detail.
A prior work showing a blue-toned ASCII art image of a forest projected onto a surface.

prior work with ascii