Recognition

2012

With QR codes becoming so prevalent in our everyday lives they must be reevaluated to determine if they are in fact worth using and engaging with. These strange symbols pull us in with the curiosity of what lies on the other side of the scan. They provide an entrance point to a digitized layer that sits on top of the city. While they extend the interaction with a certain object or service they require one to reach into their pocket to launch the decoder adding extra steps just to understand what one sees in front of them.

These icons have infiltrated various parts of society but they have not done so seamlessly. With their stark appearance they do not easily blend in with the aesthetics of what they are being integrated with. Much like augmented reality, QR codes have failed to usurp other digital representations because of their device requirements and steps and one must take to carry out a scan.

QR codes are seen as supportive to what they are linked to. When a code is scanned the user expects to be shown more about what they see in front of them. It may be in the form of a website to a product or a coupon to entice that person to continue the interaction. It shows them something they can not already see.

With Recognition the viewer is shown exactly what they already know to be standing in front of them, a person. Each surface that is scanned links to a photograph of that plane of my face. To get to this conclusion the person scanning is required to go through the extra undertaking QR technology demands of them to find that out. They must take out their phone, launch an app, get the code into view, steady their hand, and wait for the pattern to be recognized.

Recognition was also carried out to start a discussion about how a person can represent themselves digitally in physical space. All users of the internet have an identity. Whether it be through an email address, website profile, or even an IP address the user must choose the way they will be seen. These decisions are noted by the website, by other users, and even the internet provider. How can such an identity translate into offline life? In this case the identity is believed to be the same but most people revise their portrayal online because of the partial anonymity the web permits. The images of my face are actually not the same as real life because I allowed myself to retouch the images to minimize blemishes and adjusted the color in a graphics editing program.

It is important to note that carrying out this performance altered the way I perceived my environment. Obviously those that saw me looked at me in a way they wouldn't have if I was not wearing the mask but I found my personal experience surprising. I felt hidden, sheltered even from the people around me. Being that individuals could not see my material face I convinced myself that I could act in ways I would not normally without a mask. I was free from my own identity, even though it could be seen if scanned. Once people scanned my face I felt they had a stronger connection to me. When they saw the image I felt almost exposed to them, like they found out my secret.