hello world! window display Creche. (2015)

A window display companion installation to coincide with the exhibition, hello, world! mounted at Artspace, curated by J.R. Uretsky. 

From the Artspace Website:

"From Wikipedia*

A “Hello World!” program is a computer program that outputs “Hello, World!” (or some variant thereof) on a display device. Because it is typically one of the simplest programs possible in most programming languages, it is by tradition often used to illustrate to beginners the most basic syntax of a programming language. It is also used to verify that a language or system is operating correctly. A “Hello world!” program has become the traditional first program that many people learn. . . Using this simple program as a basis, computer science principles or elements of a specific programming language can be explained to novice programmers. Experienced programmers learning new languages can also gain a lot of information about a given language’s syntax and structure from a “Hello, world!” program.

In addition, “Hello world!” can be a useful sanity test to make sure that a language’s compiler, development environment, and run-time environment are correctly installed. Configuring a complete programming toolchain from scratch to the point where even trivial programs can be compiled and run can involve substantial amounts of work. For this reason, a simple program is used first when testing a new tool chain.

“Hello world!” is also used by computer hackers as a proof of concept that arbitrary code can be executed through an exploit where the system designers did not intend code to be executed…

"hello, world! is an exhibition that explores how a queer identity can function as a clear projection of self while simultaneously resisting and reframing normative definitions of identity. The complex, humorous and deeply personal approaches each artist brings to the exhibition offers a visual syntax of queer experiences.  The title hello, world! reminds us that language is learned, tested, reframed and hopefully — hacked."

Artspace community members, artists and participants in the current exhibition were invited to create miniature "avatars" that would occupy a re-imagined "holiday creche", installed in the Crown street window of the gallery. In addition to hoodwinking this commonly utilized construct, this piece began a conversation about the utilization of such an object, where it should be placed and who it is for. Additionally, it invited a conversation with the town of New Haven who annually erect a christian nativity scene on the town green each year and the Knights of Columbus Museum which currently had mounted an exhibition of European Christmas creches.