Instagram photo by Cthulu • Oct 25, 2016 at 1:52pm UTC

In 2014 I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was sitting on hundreds of loose artefacts from an extinct culture of computer artists dating to nearly twenty years back, across several seemingly insurmountable technological sea changes, and I had a nice, round anniversary coming up. I knew I wanted to celebrate the 20th year since the establishment of Mistigris, but didn’t know what would be the most appropriate fashion. Sure I would exorcise and put to rest the lingering unreleased art files, saving them from their eternal torment of unfinished business, and I would gather what few of the old guard I could muster to provide some sort of witnessing to them – because surely no one else could possibly have any interest in it. But something strange happened. Instead of my going “Here, folks, I carried the torch for 16 years and kept these files alive long after you long since forgot ever creating them… I never did figure out a worthwhile application for them, sorry for letting you down” … the old crew said “hey, no need to look backwards in regret for this occasion… instead, let’s create some new art and look forwards in celebration!” (Those old files, incidentally, were ultimately vented as M-9808 and MIST2000.)

It had never really occurred to me that gathering old computer artists of 1994 and inviting them to make a new artpack in 2014 would be a viable undertaking… I thought, well, first let me get this textmode art gallery exhibition concept underway, and then if that sees progress wouldn’t it be fun to put on a little artpack theatre as a sideshow to it! But it turns out that all of the logistical and financial speed bumps of making things happen in the physical world are still in effect, while cyberspace is more frictionless than ever, and so since 2014 the tail has been wagging the dog.

I know, what does any of this have to do with this illustration? The logo we see is a marvel of typography by textmode calligrapher par excellence Mattmatthew of Blocktronics, formerly in another life our fellow traveller ts of teklordZ, with whom we crossed paths and collaborated more than a few times. When I began stirring the nostalgia pot and seeing what fumes rose up, he responded with this miracle logo, containing within it worlds and worlds within those worlds. If he believed enough in my vague aspiration to grab ahold of it and carry it forward to this amazing fever dream, I had a sacred charge to follow through and keep going… which brings us to the present. This new piece of work was the gas in our tank pushing us forward, an angel on our shoulder saying “I believe in you!”, and this Tumblr Mattmatthew set up an open road ahead asking where we wanted to proceed to. (THAT part we’re still feeling out; in the meantime, it’s a merry joyride.)

The logo is dedicated to the late Swedish ANSI artist BYM, who died shortly before the MIST1014 release date.

Instagram photo by Cthulu • Oct 25, 2016 at 1:52pm UTC