The Nature of Internet

Stefan Skripak

“The Nature of Internet” is a critical object which highlights the self-destructive environmental consequences of internet usage.

https://www.stefanskripak.com

Description

Most daily internet users do not realize the full environmental impact of their browsing and streaming. In addition to the energy used to power our devices, the bandwidth served over the internet is stored in server farms with massive carbon footprints. In 2016, the IT sector used over 7% of the world's energy (equivalent to the whole aviation industry) and that amount will only continue to increase as services become faster and the reach of the internet broadens. “The Nature of Internet” seeks to illuminate this cost of internet usage and highlight the self-destructive nature of this behavior. As the user browses the internet, the heater inside of my sculpture is activated according to the amount of data they are using, which then increases the speed at which the iceberg inside will melt. As the melted ice collects in the circuitry it will eventually lead to a “short circuit”, shutting off the connected computer and preventing any further usage.

Classes

Critical Objects, Quantified Humanists: Designing Personal Data

Invisible Labor

Isabella Vento, Sukanya Aneja

http://static.playdo.io/invisible-labor-2.mp4

Description

This project sheds light on the invisible labor powering much of our digital comforts — from platforms like Mechanical Turk, to outsourced content moderation work. This work is essential for “technological progress”, but is kept behind curtains, and unknown to the average “user”.

A video plays on the headset — recordings from Mechanical Turks, responding to interview questions (paid according to NY minimum wage standards, as opposed to the $0.01 – $0.15 standard on MTurk). But in order to view and hear the video clearly, someone else must get down on the floor and turn the crank. The participants' physical positions amplify the social structures and power dynamics at play.

Classes

Critical Objects

Mirror

Aditya Dahiya, Brent Bailey

An AI mirror trained only to “see” its creators.

https://

Description

Using computer vision, we've created a mirror that can only see the people who made it.

Classes

Critical Objects, Electronic Rituals, Oracles and Fortune-Telling

Pre-mom Screening

Shu-Ju Lin, Wenjing Liu

A critical device that tells a user whether or not they should have a baby base on their DNA data.

https://jingdezign.wordpress.com/2019/04/22/smart-pregnancy-test/

Description

The control of birth is the most common bio-power throughout our human history, through which women’s body, especially womb, have been inserted into the machinery of country productivity. Even though feminism movement has improved the situation and liberated women with more freedom and human rights, the systemic control of birth and its oppression on women can still be found in many areas and countries.

In addition, the development of bio-technology, such as DNA sequencing, has empowered the system to monitor more human body data. As a result, more and more institutions and companies, like UK BioBank and 23andMe, have been collecting and storing individuals’ DNA data.

Classes

Critical Objects

The two Flagpole protocols

Dana Elkis, Idith Barak

Two flagpoles with sheer flags dancing between the accepted flag protocols; half-staff, full staff.

https://pinkeey9.wixsite.com/danaelkisblog/blog/two-flags-protocol

Description

Two flag staff with sheer flags dancing between the accepted flag protocols; half-staff, full staff. By eliminating the flags identities and leaving only the bare mechanism we're allowing essentially 2 objects/2 flag staffs without anyone's agenda to create a conversation, possibly a machine like a dance that will underscore the complexity and Conflicting emotions of grief and victory. We are interested in examining the tension that this object retains.

possible to show on the front window of tisch.

Classes

Critical Objects