Zen & ASCII

"ASCII art is an excellent modern representation of the Zen Aesthetic which has been predominant in Japanese culture for centuries. ASCII, short for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is the basis of internet communication. 128 characters make up the standard,Ý universal code for the transmission of data over the internet. The creation of this protocol has led to the invention of 'ASCII art.' ASCII Art is defined as any kind of artwork made using the standard ASCII character set.

To understand the relationship between Zen and ASCII, we first must explain the process of ASCII art as a craft. Traditionally, ASCII art was created with the limitations of characters and grid size. ASCII art, which is transferred over the Internet, uses the standard characters from 32 to 128. These characters are universal on the majority of keyboards and systems; consisting of the alphabet in capitals and lowercase; various punctuation, and numerical values. Prior to 32, systems have inconsistencies which can alter the appearance of the character. It also has traditionally utilized a grid shape of 72 characters across, which is the standard resolution for appropriate display on most email programs. Images are displayed using the arrangement of ASCII characters to emote shapes. The grids can be filled with something as simple as the standard X, to create extremely stark black and white contrasts, or using any number of these characters to create an adequate representation of a form. Color tables can be referenced which compare contrast to its appropriate character. For example, a light spot can be left blank or marked by a '.' while a darker area can be described using '%' or 'X'. The Zen aesthetic in art has also used the idea of grids, and evocation rather than definition. 'Essence without Form,' also known as 'mu' or 'Satori,' literally translated, 'nothing' or empty space, is a predominant visual and philosophical ethic in Zen. This has lead to the practice of defining negative space in an artwork and the lines as a means of shaping that space, in the manner of our own physical penetration of the universe. . . . " -- from Zen & ASCII

"Eryk Salvaggio is an editor of the online literary revolution 1000 Ridiculous Tragedies. . . . He has also published a book of poetry." -- from About the Contributors, frAme, Issue 6, 2001