Atari Poethree is a digital installation operated by an Atari 2600, which displays a group of verses on 3 TV monitors. The poem was written in Spanish by the artist, and encoded in a self-manufactured Atari cartridge. The source code was developed employing binary codes and machine language. Also, the text presented on the screens continuously changes its color.  

The poem reads: “volátil como la piel de un ofidio / escapo de mi nombre para escapar / del sonido que me aprisiona” (transient as the skin of an ophidian /  i escape from my name / to escape from the sound that imprisons me)

This piece belongs to a group of works titled ‘Atari Poetry’, initiated by the artist in 1985. In these series of works, Merhi employs the Atari 2600 game console to show new ways of writing/programming and exhibiting poetry.. Due to the important role of Atari on the advance of many technological concepts and devices, the use of this ‘Video Computer System’ transcends the meaning of nostalgia and retro, and turns into a powerful icon of the era that we have been living for the past 3 decades.