(All photos by Luis Hernan)
The air around us is alive. Radio waves, WiFi signals, all manner of frequencies are zipping about, unseen and unheard yet bringing life to our phones, computers, radios, and more. Sometimes it almost seems if you squint your eyes you can see them: rainbow-like spider webs of digital connectivity. At least, that's how designer, photographer, and PhD candidate Luis Hernan envisions them in his new photo series Digital Ethereal.
"The images are created by combining technical and performative components," he explains. "In the technical, I designed an instrument which continuously prompts for the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) through active scans of WiFi networks. This is in turn represented as colors. The other component is the interpretation of the results…. The device is carried across a space, with the operator improvising movements to reflect the values that are being returned. This process is recorded using long-exposure photography, which registers the trail left by the instrument's movement as a consistent presence in the scene."
"What you see in the images is a combination of the fluctuations in the WiFi network with the movements of the operator. Colors change depending on the signal strength of a specific point in space. The curved lines are the result of the device's operator moving it across the image. The coloration responds to a perceptual model of warmth. Red signifies the stronger signal strength, whilst blue stands for the weaker."
RELATED: Glassholes Can Steal Your Password Just By Watching Your Hands
Hernan is currently working on his PhD in architecture and interactive design, and he describes the Digital Ethereal project as, "research through design, where you use the process and result of design as a way of exploring a particular subject."
RELATED: A List of Everything that Sucks this Summer
For more of his images, check out the Digital Ethereal website.
Originally published at Esquire.
