In An Introduction to the Bell System, we have made 5 embroidered jumpsuits exploring the history and working culture of the Computing Sciences Research Center at Bell Labs, between 1970-90. Though famous for the success of the Unix operating system and surrounding tools, the group’s cult status online is buoyed by a much wider array of playful, experimental and sometimes anarchic work, in an era where the identity of “tech worker” was yet to be defined. This project is a form of fan art: each suit considers a strand of research from this era at Bell through the projects, in-jokes and ephemera.
