56k
Invented in the 1980s and commercially made available in the 1990s the dial-up modem provided our access to the internet. While many have fond memories of the iconic tones these types of modems generated, since the rapid developments of cable modems this classic technology has ceased to exist. Many of these machines have been abandoned in dusty attics, hidden in storage and crawl spaces. By deserting these old technologies, what would have become of these artefacts?
Inspired by the book: “Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects” by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, and Braitenberg Vehicles, I revived this once-beloved technology. Speculating about what would happen if over the last two decades it became a living entity? Playing with our relationship with past technology and how such hardware evokes a sense of nostalgia. 56k shows this in its response through the detection of motion in space where it resides, revelling its new character to the world.
Code + Hardware: