Sasol New Signatures Art Competition 2026
- Lucelle Pillay
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
About my Entry
POPTXT Re-conceptualised
The POPTXT exhibition (2017) [1] fulfilled the requisite for my Masters exhibition and investigated the phenomenon of text messaging as a postmodern human sign and symbol of computer mediated communication. The research streams of socio-linguistic theory, semiotics, philosophy and the psychology of identity converged into the conceptual expression of text messaging in contemporary visual art. Inspired by Andrew Wilson's [2] book, Text Me (2003) of text message poetry (fig 2) I considered his compilation of short digital poems as a form of word-art. I became interested the concept of limitation as early SMS formats allowed the sender a maximum of 160 characters only (including spaces between words). The QWERTY keypad became the mode and medium for the creation of the digital poems, Pocket, Discon>ect & Loaded (fig 3 & 4b).
My ongoing research in 2025 further proposed that the accumulation of our daily phatic text messages has morphed according to advances in devices and chat applications such as BBM [3] and WhatsApp. Smartphone technology and instant messaging (IM) have replaced the older modality of the SMS 7-bit scheme. These disposable ‘micro-communications' have become vintage residues, faint and forgotten echoes of the ebb and flow of our daily lives, the mundane and the sublime. I explore the decline in use of the SMS in the Sasol New Signature's selected artwork, Death of SMS: Pocket 160/160 (fig 3) which was reconceptualized in 2025 by an addition of LED lights and a wooden frame.
In a world mediated by screens, the reconceptualised piece emphasises the idea of a screen or ‘light’ painting. As a tactile contrast three large ‘paper plane’ motifs were added in 2026 as a floor installation (fig 4c). These are ghosts of more analogue systems but also represent the ‘SEND >’ symbol (fig 5b, 5c, 6a & 6b) underpinned by Affordance theory [4] which is theoretically key to my visual iconography. This mix of materials re-presents the concept of text messaging as an artefact of a new human historiography, constantly morphing and mutating our ideas via language and how we connect with others.
The digital poems used in the Sasol Signature's selected artwork (fig 3) consists of a static visual grid consisting of 160 text character boxes. I built the message unit by inserting letters, numbers, spaces & symbols to the value of a standard 7 bit SMS scheme. Important to this modality of communication is that it was asynchronous, meaning that the sender was not aware of when the receiver reads the message. Unlike IM, an immediate response was not expected and messages would would hang in the ether much longer. The romanticised poems amongst the mass flow of mundane utterances hearkens to the preciousness of human engagement and our need for connection in the digital age.
This area of research speaks to my ongoing interest in the ‘Convergences of human experience with digital interfaces’ and more recently ‘Raw data as a transmutable art material within the human narrative’. I am very proud that my work has been recognised and selected for exhibition at the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition. I am hoping that it shines light on computer mediated communication and how it has altered human language and engagement. Technology and our personal devices are rapidly evolving in intelligence and functionality. My research will continue to analyse the complex codification of human signs and symbols in digital environments and how this affects our formations of identity and relationships.
Footnotes
[1] My Master's thesis entitled, POPTXT: DIGITAL TEXT MESSAGING AS A MODE FOR NEW SOCIAL IDENTITIES AS EXPRESSED THROUGH CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ART investigated the phenomenon of text messaging as a postmodern human sign and symbol of computer mediated communication. Socio-linguistic theory, semiotics, philosophy and the psychology of identity are research streams that feed into the conceptual expression of text messaging in visual art, specifically new media art. Click on link below to view Full thesis & Exhibition Catalogue https://www.researchgate.net/publication/410906038_POPTXT_Exhibition_Catalogue_2017pdf
[2] Andrew Wilson conceptualised the Guardian Text Message Poetry Competition & the Leeds City Poems SMS Project. His short film Shoes, Rings, Fish has been screened at various art festivals in the UK.
[3] BBM - Black Berry messenger.
[3] Affordance theory in design proposes that the visual and physical properties of an object should communicate how it is intended to be used. Good design makes possible actions intuitive—for example, a handle invites pulling, while a flat plate suggests pushing.
List of References
Crystal, D. 2006. Language and the internet. Cambridge University Press.
Crystal D. 2008. Txtng. The gr8 db8. Oxford University Press.
Taban, C. 2013. Meta- and inter-images in contemporary visual art and culture. Leuven University Press.
Tagg, C. 2012. Discourse of text messaging. Analysis of SMS communication. Continuum International Publishing Group.
Wilson, A. 2003. Text me. Smith/Doorstop Books.
List of Images
Cover Image. Finalist Banner (2026). Copyright of Sasol New Signatures Entity.
Figure 1. Lucelle Pillay, POPTXT Art Exhibition catalogue cover (2017). Digital composite.
Figure 2. Research on the phenomenon of text messaging (2026). Photo: Lucelle Pillay.
Figure 3. Lucelle Pillay, Death of SMS: Pocket 160/160 (2026). Mixed Media installation. (122x92cm) + (122x92cm). Wood, acrylic sheets, LED lights, paper, PVC & correx sheets.
Figure 4a. Origami folding technique for plane motif. https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ysfRFS91Ts/VHoI2Jqsz2I/AAAAAAAACOg/mmxSeBFNri4/s1600/plane2.gif (Accessed 28 July 2026). Figure 4b. Lucelle Pillay, Folded SMS Poem, Death of SMS: Loaded (160/160) (2026). Sculpture. Large format print on paper.
Fig4c. Lucelle Pillay, Paper plane floor group (detail) (2026). Mixed media installation. Printed paper, Correx & PVC.
Figure 5a. Lucelle Pillay, Back view of Death of SMS: Pocket (160/160) (2017). (122x92cm) . Laser printed acrylic sheet. Figure 5b. Lucelle Pillay, Send I (detail) (2017). Suspended installation. Digital prints, hand drawings, transparency film., wire connectors.
Fig 5c. Vector paper plane motifs. Digital prints on transparency film.
Figure 6a. Lucelle Pillay, Send II (2017) . Vinyl cut-outs on acrylic sheets. Figure 6b. Lucelle Pillay, Send II (detail) (2017). Vinyl cut-outs on acrylic sheets.
Figure 7a. Digital poem, Discon>ct . PDF Artwork for print.
Fig7b. Digital poem, Pocket . PDF Artwork for print.
