This prototype, created by qargo in 2022, embodies a pioneering approach in the artist’s work, a turning point where plastic aesthetics and technological innovation converge. This first example, built from 5,000 to 7,000 Lego bricks, laid the foundations for a series that would be refined over the years, both technically and conceptually, with contemporary works now using up to 90,000 bricks. At the time, the ambition was to materialize the QR code in its purest form, a three-dimensional object whose function extends beyond simple observation.
Unlike more recent qargoes, where a double-sided design combines an inspirational character on the front with a QR code on the back, this prototype focuses solely on the visual and symbolic power of the code. The QR code, here perfectly represented in Lego, not only serves as a portal to the digital world, but becomes the work itself, adding a new dimension to interactive art. Once scanned, the code points to the Pixel Tower, a real creation also made in Lego, but hidden beneath the QR code and therefore invisible to the public eye and accessible only on this page above. This tower, a tribute to the very spot where the artist discovered Masahiro Hara ‘s revolutionary invention of the QR code in 2018, is part of the ongoing dialogue between art and technology. It embodies the idea that the work, although physically existing, only acquires its full visibility through digital interaction. This process, at the frontier between the visible and the hidden, anchors the work in an almost metaphysical dimension of contemporary art.
In terms of aesthetics, the choice of colors is meticulously thought out. The deep black of the background, punctuated by cyan squares, dialogues with the modernity of the architecture and the rigor of digital systems. The sleek white QR code stands out with almost clinical precision against this dark background, evoking both the legibility of the code and the clarity of an invention designed to transcend the physical world. This tension between black, the symbol of infinity and the digital, and white, the marker of information, amplifies the dual character of the work. Touches of cyan, on the other hand, recall the codes of technological innovation and contemporary aesthetics, while injecting a visual dynamic into this static structure.
On the reverse, minimalism reaches its climax: an all-black background against which a single white Lego stands out, marking the artist’s signature. This gesture, discreet but charged with meaning, echoes a form of introspection. It is only through this single element that the artist leaves a tangible trace of his intervention, while hinting at the absence of anEaster egg, which will only appear in future creations.
This inaugural qargo stands the test of time not only as a pioneering work, but also as a statement on the very nature of art in the digital age. It explores the boundaries between the material and the digital, the visible and the invisible, questioning the viewer’s active role in revealing the work. Both sculpture and portal, this qargo is a central figure in contemporary interactive art, combining technological innovation, aesthetic complexity and conceptual depth.
