is interdisciplinary; exploring how technology affects human beings
as individuals and as a society. In general, technology is a set of
tools that make life easier. These tools help people mediate their
interaction with the external world. Throughout history, this mediation
has had a profound affect on humankind. Sometimes this affect was
envisioned. With the increased speed at which technology is now developed,
it is often hard to see the implications of new technologies.
Teaching is an integral part of my work as a technology artist. My
exploration of how technology mediates our lives constantly reveals
the need to be an informed user of technology. Much of my work attempts
to educate its audience on this subject. When I teach students how
to use technology as part of their art practice, the most important
lesson I share is the need to use technology intelligently. Instead
of using technology in a manner suggested by its design and marketing,
people should use technology in ways that benefit themselves.
Homo Indicium is an installation based on my exploration of digital
identities. In a society where technology assists in every aspect
of life, most people have accumulated a digital identity. It is an
identity based on bits and pieces of information stored in fragments
over a vast network of computers. Buying habits, means of identification,
medical histories, and personal histories are all stored virtually.
Homo Indicium started with the question, "What can a machine
know about a person?" Every day, machines continue to compile
digital identities. These identities influence countless decisions
made by both humans and machines. The question is, "Is this information
enough to truly know someone?" Homo Indicium allows its audience
to interact with information-based identities as a way of exploring
questions raised by this process.
The name, Homo Indicium, is derived from the Latin words, homo, which
means man, and indicium, which means data or information. Together,
they form the scientific name of the species of humans that exists
purely as information.