Fakewhale Gallery presents The Dithering (You Are Here) by Dev Harlan on Verse

“The Dithering (You Are Here)”: A Convergence of Past Warnings and Present Realities

Dev Harlan is a New York based artist working in sculpture, installation and digital media. His work has been showcased both nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at Christopher Henry Gallery (NY), Gallery Madison Park (NY), and group shows like Noor at the Sharjah Art Museum and the New Museum’s Ideas City NY. A 2020 NYFA Fellowship Finalist in Digital Media Arts and winner of the 2022 Mozaik Artist Grant, Harlan enriches his artistic practice with academic pursuits in Earth Science at Columbia University.

In this series, Harlan extends his innovative use of emulated desktop environments to critique the widespread apathy toward climate change embedded within techno-utopian narratives. By reconstructing pages from the landmark 1990 IPCC Assessment Report within a simulated 1990s Macintosh operating system, he creates a poignant dialogue between the optimism of early tech culture and the pressing realities of environmental science.

Harlan meticulously codes within this vintage system to generate algorithmic artworks that intertwine strange attractor models, satellite imagery, and evocative text. These pieces explore the ethical complexities at the intersection of technological advancement and ecological responsibility.

By charting ideological trajectories and marking “You Are Here” as a waypoint, he invites who engages with the work to reflect on our current position amid an ever-evolving environmental landscape.

The 1990 IPCC Climate Report offered prescient warnings that have since manifested with unsettling accuracy. Yet, as highlighted by author Kim Stanley Robinson in his speculative novel 2312, society has endured “decades of dithering,” failing to enact meaningful change in the face of an escalating climate crisis. Harlan’s project examines this prolonged period of inaction, situating the overlooked urgency of early climate science within the technological milieu of its time: a moment when the allure of innovation often overshadowed environmental concerns.

The term “dithering” holds dual significance in this context. In computer graphics, it refers to a technique that reduces an image’s color depth while preserving its visual integrity, essential for displaying images on the limited palettes of early Macintosh systems. Harlan employs the Atkinson dithering algorithm, developed by Apple in the 1980s, to render his images in stark 1-bit color. This choice not only pays homage to the technological constraints of the era but also symbolizes the simplification of complex climate data into more digestible narratives.

Metaphorically, “dithering” captures the ethical hesitation and delay that have hindered effective responses to climate change. The reduction of image complexity mirrors society’s tendency to minimize the gravity of environmental issues.

This series challenges us to recognize this parallel, urging a confrontation with the consequences of continued inaction.

By anchoring historical climate data within a technological framework contemporaneous with its initial disregard, Harlan ultimately highlights the disconnection between technological progress and environmental stewardship.

“The Dithering (You Are Here)” serves as both a mirror and a catalyst, reflecting our history while inspiring action for the future.