Null Island is a spot missing in-between the invisible boundaries of computer laws.

The distinction between zero (the value of total absolutely nothing) and null (the lack of worth by itself) are a subtle principle for human beings. For computers, this difference is fairly crucial, however filled with more difficulty and peril—leading to an entire sounding program insects.

Because of this phenomena, many big sources of geotagged images include a group of “lost” user information at latitude-longitude coordinates 0.0°, 0.0° – discoverable if plotted on a map a few hundred of kilometers off-shore into the Gulf of Guinea. Unbeknownst to the users of their programs, the periodic and unusual incident of the insect may transfer their particular uploads here. Designers focusing on GIS techniques alert to this phenomena have affectionately termed this location “Null Area.”

For a long time i have already been enamored with the notion of the shed photo, of people’s unknowing and accidental trips joining all of them collectively to this unreal yet actual space, along with making visible the undetectable connections.

What type of location is actually Null isle?

Who may have went to around, and exactly what encounters have actually (unknowingly) sure them along?

Postcards From Null Island is autonomous and unmonitored software that continuously trawls Flickr and Instagram, interested in any brand-new images which have been uploaded from Null Island. Whenever they are observed, an actual postcard was published and mailed in my experience, so that I periodically receive mementos from people’s unknown and undiscovered travels for this mythical secure.

For one seasons, these postcards came, and slowly started to tell a tale.

Are employed in improvements, presently pursuing set up exhibition conversations.

Unindexed 2015

a research inside characteristics of ephemerality and persistence on the internet.

Unindexed got a web site that continually searched yahoo for itself over and over. As soon as it located it self in the search engine results it could irrevocably and securely erase by itself, making the accurate instant of algorithmic advancement the catalyst of break down.

Traffic are encouraged to post efforts on the web site (which will additionally be destroyed as soon as the webpages is found). They were next welcomed to fairly share the site with other people, considering the effect their approach to discussing could have on hastening the eventual discovery associated with the URL by Bing search bots.

a pressure was created involving the need to show therefore the aspire to keep it to yourself, and the website spread on a little level via email, word-of-mouth, etc.

The website had been found by Bing after 22 weeks on Tue Feb 24 2015 21:01:14 GMT+0000 (UTC) and consequently instantaneously self-destructed milliseconds after. Before the automated deletion they gotten countless visitors and a lot of benefits. No copies are kept.

Posthumously showcased in VICE, Boing Boing, Computer globe, & “The New Aesthetic and artwork: Constellations regarding the Postdigital” (Contreras-Koterbay/Mirocha, 2016).

Swipe Kept 2014

We placed drone attack “kill decision” images to the preferred Tinder cellular phone internet dating software, pushing consumers to choose yes or no on the artificial fate of an interest.

After looking into the method via which drone attack destroy decisions are designed, I was contemplating exploring the part of pc mediated UI during the decrease in complex judgements to easy binary decisions. Tinder had been an ideal system juxtaposing this, whilst’s triumph as a dating app is largely centered on it is capability to utilize interface to change an inherently intricate choice (discovering a possible enchanting spouse) into a simplistic game that feels as though it has no effects.

As an added bonus, the Tinder UI requisite customers render a yes-or-no decision before they might move forward, pressuring them to be involved in my personal situationist experiment without power to opt-out.

Emoji Dolls 2014

Emojidoll are a robot that algorithmically assembles a humanoid determine of emoji glyphs for any Twitter hookup bars Billings user which needs one.

Each doll is exclusive and tied to the requesting user’s Twitter fund, along with 15.6 million various likelihood.

Offered in Time Magazine, Frequent Dot and Bustle.

Inquiring Pal 2013

What do everyone would like to know, but not want rest to learn they wish to understand?

When anyone like to query things awkward in a public message board, they often end their particular report using the expression “asking for a pal.” This trope is starting to become cliche to the stage this’s almost certainly always utilized in self-parody.

Inquiring Friend are a-twitter bot that discovers tweets that match that address structure, and then anonymizes and reposts them.

Emojitracker 2013

Emojitracker was a test in realtime visualization of Twitter data.

Emoji, colorful symbols on mobile devices being useful texting, first appeared in Japan but I have since grown to explosive worldwide recognition. Emojitracker employs realtime stream handling technology we developed to be able to imagine the total level of emoji usage on Twitter in realtime. All 865 emoji signs tend to be delivered in a grid, which instantaneously lights up when symbolic can be used in a tweet, showing a huge selection of relationships per 2nd. The overall impact should existing the intimidating level of symbolic telecommunications occurring, making obvious the designs in how we utilize this newer kind telecommunications.

Established in July 2013, it has got since reviewed over 25 billion tweets.

We adapted Emojitracker into an actual physical fun setting up that has been highlighted at Eyebeam ways and technologies Center in January 2014. The projected installation encouraged socializing, and customers commonly taken around their smartphones so that you can influence the display, or involved with debate regarding the relative popularity and meaning of various symbols.

Emojitracker might discussed by unique Yorker, New York Times, wall structure Street log, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Spiegel, ce Monde, Wired, record, Vice, Hyperallergic, Details Magazine, elaborate, The Verge, Gizmodo, Buzzfeed, and many more. Subsequently displayed at Museo Nazionale del Cinema (Torino, Italy), 2019.