Artist Noah Scalin created this amazing anamorphic illusion of a skull out of old, obsolete technology, as inspired by Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors. The piece, cleverly and aptly titled Dead Media, boasts the reconfiguration of 497 VHS tapes, both from the artist’s own personal collection and donations from friends. It is an approximately 20 feet long and 9 feet wide installation that speaks volumes. Many of the younger generations today may not even recognize the video tape format that was so prevalent just a couple of decades ago, so it seems appropriate to lay them to rest in the silhouette of a skull.
Dead Media is part of Scalin’s ongoing Skull-A-Day project which started back in 2007. The installation will be on display at the Tidewater Community College Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth, Virginia from September 14th to November 1st. In the meantime, check out this cool video that gives you a sense of how important perspective is to viewing the piece.
