Invisible Communications 1967

This print, "Invisible Communications," by Juan Downey looks like a technical drawing, or a schematic – but for what? It's got these beige-y, pale hues with lines that feel both precise and tentative. I imagine Downey hunched over his table, maybe in the late hours, sketching and jotting, trying to map out some kind of hidden network. He's got these boxes and circles labeled with things like "photocell" and "infrared lamp," hinting at a system we can't quite grasp. It’s like he's dreaming up a world where sculptures talk to each other in secret languages. I’m thinking about Eva Hesse and her use of technological processes in art. I’m sympathizing with this artist who wants to believe that inanimate objects can communicate, and by making this diagram he is conjuring an impossible reality. Artists are always riffing off each other, creating echoes and variations across time. And isn’t that what we all want, really? To connect, to communicate, even if it's through invisible means.