The principle of Variability asserts that new media objects are not fixed but exist in potentially infinite versions. Unlike a printed book or film reel, with a fixed, final form, a digital object can be continually modified, adjusted, or updated.[5] For example, a website can change its layout or content based on the user's preferences, location, or device. Similarly, editing a digital photograph allows various ways to create multiple versions while preserving the original file. This flexibility contrasts with traditional media, where content remains static once produced. In digital media, however, Variability allows endless iterations of the same content, often adapting automatically to different contexts.

To engage with this principle, I took digital photographs of religious tribal artifacts from the Lowe Museum, capturing the glass displays and the accompanying wall labels. Using Photoshop’s spot healing brush tool, I removed the artifacts from the displays, leaving only the background of the empty glass boxes. The lower section of the images becomes prominent, featuring essential information such as the artifact’s date, location, name, and associated "functionality." QR codes link the printed images to a website containing details about the erased relics. The photographs are printed at varied dimensions closer to the actual artifact sizes and displayed at varying heights, mimicking the node windows in generative software and the layered horizons of the glass vitrines. While these fifteen photographs are static printed media, the website reveals half of the missing content, allowing viewers to complete their interpretation and experience of the piece.

[5] Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. United Kingdom: MIT Press, 2001, p. 36.