I Am Jack

A tribute to Jack Kerouac

Year

2018

Material

1933 Underwood Portable typewriter
Electronics
Code

Perhaps no manuscript had such a strange
artistic and physical history as Jack Kerouac’s
famous novel On The Road.

On the 60th Anniversary of the first publication of the novel, the installation invites you to experience the “kickwriting” momentum achieved through Jack Kerouac’s pioneering non-stop typing style.

The Installation

A genuine 1933 Underwood Portable typewriter (exactly the same model Jack Kerouac used to write the novel) sits on a simplistic table. An infinite teletype paper scrolls out of the machine.

The public is invited to type anything but instead of their prose, the typewriter writes On the Road, the original scroll. They become Jack.

Will the entire book be written during the exhibition?

Nearly As Simple As It Seems

A modified typewriter :
Invisible electronics record the pressed keys.

A computer :
Pressed keys are sent to Javascript and is automatically converted.

A projector hidden in a lamp :
The formatted page is displayed live on paper.

Exhibitions

I was honored that « I Am Jack » was selected to open the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival in Lowell Massachusetts.

Observing the 30th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Jack Kerouac Commemorative and the 60th Anniversary of the Publication of The Dharma Bums, the 2018 Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival was held in Jack’s hometown of Lowell.