Batch Code VHS 1
Oliver Fontany, Batch Code VHS 1, 2023, Synthetic Polymer on canvas,
Oliver Fontany has long been fascinated by VHS tapes. His attention turned to the numbers printed on the spines of VHS sleeves, which he began reciting aloud, captivated by their rhythm and form. It became clear that these numbers had grown into a deep fascination, and so they found their way into paint.
Oliver was not content to render the numbers once. He repeated them again and again, layering each sequence until the original forms dissolved into dense patterns and textured surfaces. What began as numerical codes shifted into visual language, pushing the boundary between information and abstraction.
A little research revealed that these numbers were distributor catalogue numbers, or batch codes. Each release was assigned a unique number, and the formats varied between distributors. Some codes were short, others long, and some included letters. In Oliver’s hands, these technical markers of mass production became something else entirely, a relentless act of repetition that stripped the numbers of function and rebuilt them as raw pattern and rhythm.
