FADING
BOUNDARIES
Fading boundaries
CROSS-SECTION BETWEEN THE DIGITAL & PHYSICAL WORLD
CROSS-SECTION BETWEEN THE DIGITAL & PHYSICAL WORLD
I read a news article about a man whose pacemaker got a software update carrying malicious code, causing it to stop and resulting in his death. It made me think about how our digital & physical worlds are becoming increasingly intertwined. We're practically enfused with our phones, tablets and other devices. With AI and potential implants on the horizon, will digital infections started affecting us like biological ones, the more we merge with it?
I explored the digital & physical realms by running experiments, like growing bacterial colonies from electronic devices on Petri dishes and turning the data into digital form. I used this data to create 3D models of humans that grew based on bacterial patterns, simulating a digital infection. This raises a question: as we become more machine-like, will we need software patches to fix vulnerabilities, just like medicine patches our immune system?
THE LAB
I built a miniature lab for the exposition, serving as both a workspace and a showcase for my project. Wearing a lab coat, I stayed in the lab throughout the event to work on the project and interact with visitors. They could also take petri dish samples from their own devices, making the concept more tangible & relatable. This sparked quite fascinating conversations & questions.
THE DESK
THE DESK
Visitors could browse books on bioengineering & biohacking alongside data results from my experiments. Unfortunately, yet ironically fitting, my collection of computer viruses went rogue during the final month of my research and wiped all data from my computer and external drives. The few saved images I retrieved were corrupt, which I turned into an animation accompanied by the sound my Mac made when it all crashed.
THE CAT
THE CAT
On the desk sat a mutated cat preserved in a jar, sourced from an electronic waste dump in China. Pollution from acids & electrical components in these environments can cause severe mutations in stray animals that get in contact with it too much. This cat had partially grown extra limbs, a skull growing through its skin, and a missing leg. It served as an example of real-world mutations and tied into the project's themes.
THE LIGHTBOXES
Thirty Petri dishes containing bacteria colonies sampled from electronic devices were displayed on lightboxes to highlight their different colours & patterns. Each dish was numbered, allowing visitors to link them to detailed logs and see how they contributed to the final results.
THE DATA-LOGS
THE DATA-LOGS
The logbook documented each Petri dish's growth over time, noting changes and the data generated by algorithms once plotted. Scanned images that were not used in the final project were also included for reference.
THE PRINTS
Nine prints were made using x-ray photo-plastic to match the lab aesthetic. Mounted on a swappable system in front of a lightbox, visitors could examine each image individually in high detail. The prints showcased key moments from the project and tied everything together visually.
To make the prints pop out, and at the same time match them with the lab setting, they were printed on x-ray photo-plastic. The prints, 9 different versions in total, were mounted to a swap-able hanging system in front of a lightbox that was hanging from the wall. The visitors could swap out the prints themselves and study each image individually. You can find more of the final stills on the bottom of this post.
Other projects
Wow, you made it to the end!
Wow, you made it to the end!
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If you have a similar project in mind, I'd love to help you out. Book a call so we can chat and get to know each other.