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Predictive Neon Signs

Tim Etchells Creates Fragments of Narratives to Provoke Thoughts

— February 23, 2012 — Art & Design
Visual artist Tim Etchells tweaks traditional neon lights in order to tell fragmented stories. Using complex phrases like "Please come back I'm sorry about what happened before," Tim Etchells writes that “the viewer becomes implicated in a situation that’s never fully revealed.”

Through this public deconstruction of language, Tim Etchells sparks a sense of curiosity about his words and throughout his audience. People begin to question the back story, their overall meaning and the imaginary person who conveyed these words. The statements convey irreconcilable concepts with which the viewer will wrestle. Provoking thoughts, Tim Etchells' neon signs interact with people on a purely intellectual level.

Tim Etchell says, "In my fiction I’m interested in finding new approaches to story and to character, as well as in exploring the limits and possibilities of language itself."
Trend Themes
1. Fragmented Stories - There is an opportunity for artists and designers to incorporate fragmented story-telling techniques into their work, such as Tim Etchells' use of neon lights, to create thought-provoking and immersive experiences.
2. Language Deconstruction - There is potential for technology and AI to be used in deconstructing language and creating complex phrases that provoke thought and curiosity, similar to Tim Etchells' approach to neon sign art.
3. Purely Intellectual Interaction - There is opportunity for businesses and marketers to create purely intellectual interactions with their audience, such as Tim Etchells' use of neon signs to spark curiosity and provoke thought.
Industry Implications
1. Art and Design - Artists and designers can incorporate fragmented story-telling techniques and explore the limits and possibilities of language, similar to Tim Etchells' use of neon lights.
2. Technology and AI - There is potential for technology and AI to be used in deconstructing language and creating complex phrases that provoke thought and curiosity, similar to Tim Etchells' approach to neon sign art.
3. Marketing and Advertising - Businesses and marketers can create purely intellectual interactions with their audience, such as Tim Etchells' use of neon signs to spark curiosity and provoke thought.
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