The text you must read
Black Gooey Universe by American Artist
About American Artist
American Artist (b. 1989) makes work about how racial power operates through technology. Their work includes video and installation. They legally changed their name to American Artist in 2013. The name is part of the work, and also affects what happens when someone searches for them online.
American Artist. Photo: Myles Loftin. Image source.
Introduction
The text linked above looks at the history of computer interfaces in relation to race. Artist uses the move from black screens to white graphical interfaces to talk about whiteness being treated as neutral. This gives us another way to approach some of the ideas in the Doorknob reading.
The preparation page shows examples of terminals and GUIs if you would like to refer back to them.
Artist also developed this work as an exhibition, first shown at HOUSING in Brooklyn in 2018.
American Artist, Mother of All Demos, 2018.
Black Gooey Universe, installation view at HOUSING, Brooklyn, 2018.
Exhibition images courtesy American Artist and HOUSING, via Hyperallergic.
Things to think about
As with the Doorknob reading, I will place some thoughts here to contextualize your reading experience.
- The essay moves between black as a screen color and Blackness as a way of talking about race. Pay attention to those shifts as you read.
- The desktop and folder are references to an office. Imagine a computer built around a different kind of place.
- A white background can seem like the absence of a design decision. Artist treats it as a decision with a history.
- Consider the difference between using software and being able to change how it works. Keep this in mind when Artist discusses the separation between users and programmers.
- Near the end of the essay, Artist makes room for slowness and brokenness. Imagine designing an interface without trying to make it faster.
- Look at the exhibition alongside the text. A computer covered in dirt gives us a different starting point than a screenshot.
Relevant Dates
Week 08 (10/12/2026)
- Introduce the reading!
- HW → Give a written response and upload it here for Week 09
Week 09 (10/19/2026)
- Discussion!