Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
I Am 8-Bit: Art Inspired By Classic Videogames
By James Grahame
I'm not sure how to introduce I am 8-bit. It's an annual art show that features reinterpretations of 1980s arcade imagery (their current show runs until May 19, 2006 at Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight in L.A.). I am 8-bit also exists as a brilliant retro artsy website and has metamorphosed into a brand new 156-page color book from Chronicle Books:
"Pac-Man. Frogger. Super Mario Bros. These classic videogames are burned into the collective consciousness of an entire generation, thanks to countless hours spent at pizza parlors and bowling alleys across the country. Now artists such as Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, and Ashley Wood put their memories to paper, canvas, and wood to create original works of art inspired by the art of the videogame. ... With more than 100 thought-provoking, amusing, and simply fun pieces of original art, i am 8-bit is a pixilated stroll down memory lane."
More about I am 8-bit (the book)
More about I am 8-bit (the art collective/website)
