de/Rastra

Kyle Evans' de/Rastra is an oscillographic synthesizer, a real-time audio/video instrument and computer-interfacing device that generates visualizations intrinsic to cathode ray tube technology while simultaneously creating the acoustic analog of the displayed imagery. Evans creates and manipulates these “oscillons” through interaction with multiple sensors housed within a modified CRT TV. The cathode ray tube has become useless and antiquated technology in this era of binary bits. It is the quintessential representation of the rise and fall of technology in our rapidly progressing society.

As a child outgrows a toy, we have collectively abandoned the CRT, casting it aside to be scavenged for valuable metals in the proverbial wastebaskets of our cities. Rusting in alleyways or deteriorating in thrift stores, the CRT’s once comfortable resting place in our living rooms BWPWAP, has been replaced by locations of abandonment in attempts to rid ourselves from the annoyance of their bulky proportions. In its modern character, seen as both archaic and nostalgic, the CRT is granted its most potential for experimentation and techno-resurrection. By way of building, bending and mutilating, de/Rastra shows the effects of altering the anatomical makeup of a CRT TV, revealing the intrinsically hidden potential of technology by repurposing and restructuring its own capabilities.