This tabletop box requires participant engagement by twisting the affixed rods in either a clockwise or counterclockwise motion for the scroll to be enacted down and up. A few questions that arose during this piece were: how do people interact with the digital landscape? How does the shift to being dependent on screens change people and cultures? What is gained and what is lost? These dualities of real tangible versus virtual intangible relationships and the resulting feelings of isolation and longing were presented using the anonymous user icon. There is an incredible amount of variation within these user templates to send the same message: this person will remain unknown. Even through anonymity, there is still a compulsion to be seen. The absentmindedness of effortless scrolling is a key element in this dialogue. Is it detrimental or liberating to hide behind digital anonymity? This piece, titled The Digital Façade, investigates the familiarity of these user interfaces associated with social media and other communication platforms.
SAMANTHA FOSTER 