Refresh: The Art of the Screen Saver. Curator James Buckhouse explains the appeal of the screen saver:
What if that windowed office never comes? What if your only window out, your only aperta finestra, to your dreams, poetic sense of self and your cultural connection to the world was your computer screen? …
The screensaver indicates that while you are no longer working at the computer, the computer continues to cycle tirelessly. The screensaver works as an avatar, standing in for your presence while you are out. The screensaver hints at what you might be thinking about when you are not thinking about work.
Why is it that an artist’s or curator’s description is more likely to diminish interest in a piece or exhibit than increase interest? This seems to happen more often in the visual arts than in other disciplines.