(in)visible
Digital Presence Made Visible: Networked Life Through Signal Visualization
(in)visible
Digital Presence Made Visible: Networked Life Through Signal Visualization
(in)visible v2
We move through public spaces surrounded by an invisible ecosystem of digital signals—the quiet hum of phones, watches, and countless other devices constantly broadcasting their presence. The (in)visible series makes this hidden layer of contemporary life visible, revealing the ghost networks that permeate our shared environments.
Each location holds its own unique digital fingerprint. A busy café pulses with the signals of laptops and smartphones. A quiet park bench might register only a few scattered devices. A subway platform becomes dense with overlapping transmissions. These invisible patterns of presence and absence tell stories about how we inhabit public space in the networked age.
Within the context of Data as Material, the (in)visible works serve as portraits of collective digital presence—capturing fleeting moments of connection and disconnection that usually pass unnoticed. They transform the ephemeral nature of wireless communication into lasting visual documents, creating a new kind of social landscape photography that reveals not just who was there, but the technological aura they left behind.
The works function as both artistic visualization and gentle provocation, asking viewers to consider the constant digital exhale of our devices and the invisible architectures that connect us. In making these signals visible, the series invites reflection on privacy, presence, and the quiet intimacy of shared digital space.
Technically, each piece captures ambient Bluetooth signals over brief intervals at specific locations, overlaying the data onto photographs of the sites. Signal strength determines the size of each mark, while colors are drawn from the background image itself, creating a dialogue between the digital and physical layers of each space. The result is a series of unique data portraits that make visible the invisible rhythms of networked life.
All works are available for sale. Click on the images to view them in the shop!
We move through public spaces surrounded by an invisible ecosystem of digital signals—the quiet hum of phones, watches, and countless other devices constantly broadcasting their presence. The (in)visible series makes this hidden layer of contemporary life visible, revealing the ghost networks that permeate our shared environments.
Each location holds its own unique digital fingerprint. A busy café pulses with the signals of laptops and smartphones. A quiet park bench might register only a few scattered devices. A subway platform becomes dense with overlapping transmissions. These invisible patterns of presence and absence tell stories about how we inhabit public space in the networked age.
Within the context of Data as Material, the (in)visible works serve as portraits of collective digital presence—capturing fleeting moments of connection and disconnection that usually pass unnoticed. They transform the ephemeral nature of wireless communication into lasting visual documents, creating a new kind of social landscape photography that reveals not just who was there, but the technological aura they left behind.
The works function as both artistic visualization and gentle provocation, asking viewers to consider the constant digital exhale of our devices and the invisible architectures that connect us. In making these signals visible, the series invites reflection on privacy, presence, and the quiet intimacy of shared digital space.
Technically, each piece captures ambient Bluetooth signals over brief intervals at specific locations, overlaying the data onto photographs of the sites. Signal strength determines the size of each mark, while colors are drawn from the background image itself, creating a dialogue between the digital and physical layers of each space. The result is a series of unique data portraits that make visible the invisible rhythms of networked life.
All works are available for sale. Click on the images to view them in the shop!
(in)visible v2
Process Documentation
Process Documentation
![[W]HOLE](https://format.creatorcdn.com/2cbbd9f4-a454-4e1b-b971-e06335b348f7/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2428,800,800/0-0-0/3278e968-0b20-4577-a67d-2dc5028c230c/1/2/Shaw_%5BW%5DHOLE_1.jpeg?fjkss=exp=2075569954~hmac=8494b6892a010d60b0b7862eea48beb1b1522929139f95a75ae139c336554ee2)
