THE TRANSCODING IMAGE
The transcoding image reveals the processing of digital media. It takes the intangible data within digital photos and re-interprets them as pixels for viewing. This process converts and translates the file from one encoding format to another, which can alter the quality of the image as some of the original data and code may be left out in favour of a smaller file size. The transcoding image foregrounds its compressed imperfections that make us recognize the mediation inherent in seeing any image. It disrupts photographic indexicality, so what once was film exposed to light becomes a translation from reality, to camera, to binary code. The data transcodes one final time and re-presents itself as a set of pixels. The transcoding image then activates the viewer’s perception of its materiality in the digital realm.
