Earlier this year, I changed my social media bio to: “Laurel is a highly interactive system in which economy and clarity of expression are essential.” This line was lifted directly from the Laurel Manual, a thoughtful guide for using the “Laurel” email program created for the Xerox Alto, from 1981. It feels peaceful to me … being a system … somehow. I feel less pressured to be any one version of myself at all times.
Artists have been becoming systems for a long time now.