Trace

A playful mixed media interactive installation that showcased biometric technologies, such as iris, palm and voice scanners, image capture and cumulative databases to engage visitors with everyday biometric technologies and the practices of biometric capture and archiving. Continuing the artists' practice of exploring the info-aesthetics of contemporary political issues, both the practices and aesthetics of information technologies are highlighted as visitors biometric data is both requested and involuntarily taken, databased and reused in the installation. Gillian Fuller

Artist Statement
Trace is a mixed media installation exploring [...] biometric themes, a subject that becomes increasingly significant as the 'global war on terror' escalates and government security organisations are collecting physical data from citizens for identification purposes. In the first part of the installation the viewer engages with the biometric station, encouraged by friendly instructions to voluntarily register using palm scans, iris scans and voice analysis. Further into the exhibition an involuntary image capture occurs. Viewers can access these images from a database of previous exhibition visitors where the biometric data is blended with the captured images.
Source of Artist Statement

Starrs, Josephine

Cmielewski, Leon

2002

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Mixed media installation

Installation