Vitto Valentinov

SIGNALS is a continuation of a series of projects in which participants communicate with each other using uncommon means and devices. In a global situation of crisis and urgent calls for social distancing, this work speaks about the search for an alternative language for distance communication. In a series of short videos, Vitto Valentinov, wearing a face mask, sends short Morse code messages by blinking with his eyes.

View the videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxSpyX5rlwA&t=24s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTMlVaA3HGo&t=28s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9nt0R_h9tc&t=22s

The language of art is primarily symbolic. It should give no suggestions for direct application. Thus, the author does not offer the Morse code as a practical way of communication, but provokes us to be inventive in connecting with whatever means are available in any unusual or critical situation.

At a time when the pandemic intensifies nationalist sentiments with new forms of localization rapidly emerging, the urge for international dialogue is extremely palpable. Art, within its own means, should also deal with communication beyond the national, while seeking the humane and the universal.

How does the Morse code work:

The Morse code is a method of remote communication through the use of a transmitter and a receiver. The duration of the short signal - the DOT - is taken as a time unit. The length of the DASH is equal to 3 time units. The space between the characters in a letter is one time unit, between the letters in a word - 3 time units, between words - 7 time units.

In the videos, the short blink is a DOT and the long blink is a DASH. The pauses between them are in accordance with the rules of the Morse code. You can easily find the Morse Code Alphabet on the Internet and decode Vitto's messages.

This work is part of SARIEV GALLERY's project #sarievselfisolation.