The "Protocol" collection features artworks that question seemingly normal habitual actions. Repetitive, prescribed actions are found not only in algorithmic technologies, but also amongst people's daily routines. The concept of autonomy within the digital landscape is illusory, shaped from years of technological conditioning. Jason Jiggetts's sound work, Algo-Rhythms, exemplifies how the pervading routines of everyday life eerily parallel computer algorithms. Similarly, Priscilla Shum's animation, The Cookie Monster, personifies the unfortunate realities of data collection. The work highlights how user's information is—often unknowingly—harnessed to paint a digital portrait of the user. Qiao Ting Liu's Pac-Man inspired game animation takes a different approach to the "Protocol" concept. Instead, her work sheds light on issues of health and obesity, demonstrating how simple individual choices can have dire cumulative effects. Likewise, Wendy Lei's animation, Error 404, compares the decision-making process of video games with life choices, highlighting the infinite, unpredictable possible outcomes. Ultimately, artists in "Protocol" hope to evaluate the parallels between human and technological procedures.
Jason Jiggetts' Algo-Rhythms is a compilation of everyday sounds that have been recorded and edited together to create an enticing musical paragon. Jiggetts was inspired to create Algo-Rhythms because music can be found anywhere around us, even when we think that it is not there. During the development of this project, Jiggetts viewed music as having a series of steps from when one beat goes after another, much like how an algorithm is also a step by step development process. He records a series of household items and other mediocre sounds that are passively present throughout the course of his daily routine. The sound of a laundry machine door closing, footsteps walking down a staircase, or even a blender furiously blending are sounds you wouldn't think were associated in his artwork. By using a music editing software called Fruity Loops, he was able to combine those sounds and create a wholesome and continuous beat. It seemed quite mundane at first, but once those ordinary sounds were brought together it became an unorthodox and aesthetic piece of art.
Jiggetts is a senior majoring in Finance with a minor in New Media Arts.
When one is online, the idea of privacy is misconstrued. Complete and total privacy within the digital world is a "fantasy" marketed to the people by the very same forces who invade it. The issue of privacy within the digital realm has been an issue for a long time - an issue that lawmakers are unsure of how to go about how they can protect our rights to privacy on a platform that is "new" to our society. Hidden between the lines of one's terms of agreement are loopholes, allowing your own devices to watch you, study your movements, and devour every single piece of information that you provide. At some point, you won’t even be able to claim that you have the right to your privacy, your identity, or your life. Your identity will be swallowed up by the monster behind your computer.
With her background in coding and animation, Shum decided to create a project that will bring awareness of privacy issues. The Cookie Monster is an animation that focuses on educating and bringing awareness of how your information is stored and exploited on the web browsers that you use every day. By taking on a physical form, The Cookie Monster is the mishandling of information personified, as the more details we feed to these web browsers, these "monsters" behind our screens are making us sell ourselves without even knowing it. With this fun and interesting way of addressing privacy issues, Shum's The Cookie Monster allows for the conversation to become more approachable.
Shum is a senior at Baruch College majoring in CIS with a minor in New Media Arts.
Error 404 is an animation that communicates the pressure one has to face when trying to conform to the norms. Society establishes norms and expectations that young adults must follow because these "steps" have enabled many predecessors to live a stable life. The pressure to meet these standards can be overwhelming and disrupt one's personal growth and character.
The milestones that students are expected to reach are represented as major events in this animation. It begins with a game-play. For every event that the player encounters, she is presented with two options: 01 or 02. A rule book was provided and it hints that in order to win the game, option 01 must always be chosen. Although choosing option 01 has led to significant results, the player was never able to gain meaningful experience. The slow pace and monotonous tempo allow us to feel the same restricting pressure the player feels following a chosen path. The game eventually crashes and the player is prompt to return to reality.
Error 404 initially looks at the conflict the player must choose between what they want and what they will get. However, there is a twist; the player is given a second chance starting over on her checkpoint. It's assumed the player would find a better experience, but the ending becomes more uncertain.
Error 404 shows that despite the well-intended norms laid out by society, they can eventually wear down an individual. The desire and courage for choosing a different path are hindered due to the fear of failure. However, not everyone's life is predetermined. Following the advised rules may solve a problem, but would that solution be what's best for the individual?
The Consequences of Your Actions, by Qiao Ting Liu, is a digital food diary that documents the negative effects of consuming unhealthy food. Liu approaches this sensitive topic with a comedic angle, selecting the Pacman game as the experimental subject. Immediately, viewers are met with the Pacman, who ventures into the maze, gobbling up unhealthy food along the way. As Pacman continues to find his way out of the maze, viewers can visually see how the character's eating habits progressively changes his body.
Liu was inspired by the iconic documentary Supersize Me, where Morgan Spurlock revealed the harmful effects of a diet consisting of only fast food. Spurlock eats McDonald's items for thirty days straight. Through his journey, he experiences severe weight gain, mood swings, and even health problems like heart palpitations. Liu wanted to combine a modern-day topic we talk about with an old-school arcade game we all love. She hopes this will convey the seriousness of the issue through a unique medium, giving a new perspective to a problem many overlook.