Jesús Moroles
Untitled Stele Series (JMOR 0123), n/d
Texas pink granite
Sculpture: 37 x 13 1/2 x 3 inches
Base (attached): 1 1/2 x 21 x 8 1/2 inches
Base (attached): 1 1/2 x 21 x 8 1/2 inches
Copyright The Artist
Further images
Jesús Moroles’ 'Stele' series serves as a bridge between ancient permanence and modern technology, transforming the traditional form of a commemorative stone tablet into a repository for the digital age....
Jesús Moroles’ "Stele" series serves as a bridge between ancient permanence and modern technology, transforming the traditional form of a commemorative stone tablet into a repository for the digital age. Drawing directly from his service as an electronic specialist in the U.S. Air Force, Moroles used the geometric grid of a computer punch card as a contemporary "written language." By meticulously carving these binary patterns into Texas pink granite, a material he viewed as the "earth's memory," he recorded the fleeting technological code of the 20th century into a medium that lasts for millennia.
In this 1992 work, the tension between the raw and the refined captures the evolution of human information. The "torn" vertical ridges at the base represent the stone in its natural, primordial state, while the precise, hand-carved squares at the top symbolize the organization of data and the "humanizing" of technology. Ultimately, the piece functions as a modern hieroglyph, asserting that our digital history is a significant layer in the geological and cultural record of the planet.
In this 1992 work, the tension between the raw and the refined captures the evolution of human information. The "torn" vertical ridges at the base represent the stone in its natural, primordial state, while the precise, hand-carved squares at the top symbolize the organization of data and the "humanizing" of technology. Ultimately, the piece functions as a modern hieroglyph, asserting that our digital history is a significant layer in the geological and cultural record of the planet.
