Alexei Shulgin
Nirvana Transitions. 2007 Machine aesthetics, as known, comes out of its functionality. When reflecting on technology one does not need to invent anything, - it is just enough to examine closely how things are designed. A computer allows seemingly unlimited aesthetical possibilities, that in fact appear to be clamped in narrow frames defined by the makers of pragmatic software. But if one takes a try to look at the interface not as a transparent layer inbetween a creator and her creature, but as a self-sufficient aesthetical/functional phenomena, one could see wonderful things.

Transitions - is one of such researches of the machine from inside. Meditatative videosequences are in fact different variants of 'transitions' from one scene to another used in video editing software. Video as a carrier of some message is not important here; instead of moving images just static - black and white screens are used. More than that, the 'transitions' that usually last for a second or less are stretched to 30 seconds. As a result, we see a stunningly impressive minimalistic meditative animation, where positive beauty of the functional algorythm replaces doubtful inner life of an artist. Also, "Transitions" can be seen as an example of the overcoming of the determinism of modern "creative" technology, as a beautiful hack of the system.