Kynan Tan
Polymorphism

Polymorphism continues a series of works that attempt to reveal the non-sensible conditions of computation. These three audio-visual works question the relationship between the physical aspects of computation and dominant modes of thinking about the digital. 3D simulations of computer-generated sound and video are used to materialise the hidden, invisible and non-perceptible ways data is physically in the world.

These works look to the far ends of the spectrum of digital structures — on one pole is the micro world of circuits, voltage differences and binary code, and towards the other pole is the massive infrastructure of data centres. These facilities are located in highly restricted, massive buildings with no windows — a realisation of a "black box" system. The data centre is an inaccessible non-place, yet it is incredibly important to the operation of digital processes that are omnipresent in society such as the internet and cloud computing.

This collection of works attempts to locate the flows of data and materialise them through sound and video in an attempt to break the disarticulation between thinking of data as an abstract, infinite, repeatable entity and its actual implementation in massive, energy-intensive data centres.