cobble_stone.png
The cobble_stone.png project originated in research into the online practice of “texture archeology”, the hunt for specific texture image files and other digital assets used to build the game environments in 1990s video games, which could sometimes be found within archives of texture CD-ROMs and workstation libraries. One of these textures, a cobblestone pattern, shows up frequently in many of these games. In part due to its widespread use, this texture file became the subject of a year-long search in 2020 by an online community of hobbyists working to rebuild 1990s games at higher graphic resolutions. After much hunting, the image file was found within the texture library of Alias/3 software, common software on many workstations of the time.
The first iteration cobble_stone.png is made up of square screenprints featuring a seamless texture of cobblestones. The resulting installation takes the form of a continuous wallpaper, composed of 56 identical screen prints depicting the texture, highlighting how nostalgia and digital sleuthing have become entangled in our experience of virtual space.
The second iteration of cobble_stone.png takes the form of cement pavers, cast from 3D-printed molds. The cement installation recreates the seamless textures of virtual environments, translating the cobblestone texture back into physical form. By resurrecting a lost fragment of virtual space, the project reflects on our cultural impulse to decode, preserve and reconstruct digital memory.
