“Untitled,” a temporary intervention in the Townhouse Factory Space by Cairo-based artist Daniel Rode, is the culmination of a series of artistic investigations that span the past year and a half.

The aesthetics of error inform the central piece in the installation — a large-format printed banner with a pattern taken from Cairo’s abandoned billboards. When these billboards are not booked with advertisements and are left empty, the hidden interior structure of the neon light tubes becomes visible, creating large abstract patterns that shine across the darkened city. This structure is assembled by hand, leading to irregularities in the lighting pattern; and single tubes or groups of light elements are broken, creating dark gaps and holes.

Rode was intrigued both by the aesthetics of these patterns, and by these systematic irregularities and failures. A huge billboard is switched on, but does not fulfill its function as a carrier of information. This installation responds to these deeply compelling errors in visual communication.