Signals from the Static

An interactive installation that examines the fragility of communication through Morse transmission and generative response

(I Need a Yoko)

Signals from the Static (I Need a Yoko)

Participants transmit a single word representing love or connection in Morse code using a telegraph key. The system decodes the signal and responds with shifting voice and projection, while the word briefly appears before dissolving into an evolving archive of transmissions.

Over time, the installation becomes a living record of human attempts to transmit meaning.

The Environment

A linen enclosed space isolates the act of transmission and frames the projection surface.

Installation Components

Morse transmission interface · signal decoding system · AI response engine ·

projection surface · audio playback · seating and lighting elements

Concept

Explores how meaning changes as signal passes between humans and machines.

Concept Description (PDF)→

Signals from the Static (I Need a Yoko) Proof of Concept Prototype

Prototype demonstrating the Morse transmission interface and signal response system.

Technical Requirements

4 x 4 m space · projector · speaker · power . control computer

Artist Statement

Toby TomTom creates experimental installations that explore the fragility of human communication through transmission, decoding, and response.

His work draws on historical communication systems and contemporary computation to examine how meaning shifts as it moves between sender, system, and receiver.

Within these environments, participants become part of an evolving network — where signals are not simply delivered, but altered, reinterpreted, and returned.

Communication is not broken. It is fragile.

Artist: Toby TomTom

Year: 2026

Status: Work in Development