The Idle Index

An artist screensaver project by Phoenix

The Idle Index is an exhibition and online project featuring screensavers created by artists based in, or with links to, Leicester. Screensavers have persisted as a common feature of digital devices (computers, TVs, blu ray players etc) long after their original purpose – to protect screens from burn-in – has become obsolete. While some systems still utilise them for practical purposes such as security, they serve for most as a reminder of our own inactivity – acting as prompts to continue working, browsing, watching or shopping. The screensavers offered by The Idle Index place artworks into the forgotten corners of our digital space to explore ideas of work, leisure, and usefulness. Artists Gino Attwood, Dan Cowlam, Anoushka Goodwin, Khush Kali, Ashok Mistry, Jas Singh, Antonio Roberts and Kühle Wampe have been commissioned to make new screensavers for the 2020 edition of The Idle Index. These new works will be exhibited in our gallery space, and will be available to download as a free browser extension. The extension will allow users to select screensavers to activate during moments of online idleness, and will include pieces from the 2019 and 2018 editions of this project. The Idle Index is part of Leicester Art Week 2020.