Data Patches

Data Patches is a project that focuses on the fabrication and manipulation of reality through
distributed media. Using an automated process, I took a persons image and manipulated it’s data to create a graphic symbol, the data patch, which is utilized to spread information and provoke conversation about what smart technology does with personal data.

The symbol explores issues of surveillance and data privacy and thinks about how design intervention can be used to discuss a topic like surviellance capitalism. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a video about the process of making the symbols, and more of the project can be seen at datapatches.net.

The project was part of the exhibition Unrealized Archive 6: Future Histories at Attending [to] Futures
Conference in November 2021.

This video shows the process of developing a custom symbol. By opening an image file as a text document, I was able to alter the images data to distort and manipulate it beyond recognition, often resulting in interesting and colorful visuals. To alter the data, I deleted sections of the text and replaced it with text that discusses surviellance, data collection and wearable technology.