Surface Substitution on 36 Plates 1972

Editor: This is Jennifer Bartlett's "Surface Substitution on 36 Plates." The grid structure reminds me of early computer graphics. What symbolic language do you see at play here? Curator: I see a visual system, almost an alphabet being constructed and deconstructed. Notice how certain configurations reappear – do they evoke particular memories or associations for you? Editor: I see repeating patterns but no clear narrative. Curator: Perhaps the narrative is less about a story and more about the act of repetition itself, the way we build understanding through repeated encounters with images and ideas. The grid itself is a powerful symbol – it can represent order, control, but also constraint. Editor: It feels like a meditation on mark-making and meaning. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. A potent reflection on how meaning arises and evolves over time through such iterations.