FANCY HORSE FILMS 

In June 2025 Sam debuted his new video/photo installation Soul in the Machine at The Art Scene in De Pere, Wisconsin.

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​Soul in the Machine is an exploration of the mystery and innate imperfections within obsolete
technology. A transformation of mechanical imagery into something deeply expressive and
unexpectedly alive.

 

The video was made exclusively using a vintage PXL-2000 “PixelVision” camera - a small,
portable analog video camera released by Fisher-Price in 1987. The camera was recently gifted
to me from a fellow artist and mentor. I had always been fascinated with the PixelVision, and
the time period it spawned from, so I was eager to experiment with the camera for the first
time.

With a rudimentary sensor and cassette-based recording, the PixelVision captures light in a
way that transforms motion into something both mechanical and expressive. Oversized pixels,
glitchy static, interleaved bars, and extreme contrast, give the footage a raw, kinetic energy -
where even still objects vibrate with life. I became transfixed with the camera’s unique image
processing - creating visuals that feel simultaneously futuristic and nostalgic.

Extending beyond the moving image, still frames from the video have been enlarged and
printed for exhibition. These prints echo the aesthetics of old photocopiers (another visual I’ve
always been mesmerized by), with deep matte blacks that absorb light and half-tone textures
reminiscent of Warhol’s screen prints.

By presenting both moving and static imagery together, this installation serves as a bridge
between the ephemeral nature of video and the physicality of print; an experience that invites
viewers to perceive time, memory, and media in a new way.