Manovich writes in his book, “Principles of New Media”, that “All new media objects, whether created from scratch on computers or converted from analog media sources, are composed of digital code; they are numerical representations.” As a person with a background in both math and arts, this quotation resonates with me in that while I agree that new media objects are numerical representations, I would take it a step further in saying that all art is mathematical to some degree.

Art in nature is one of the most relatable examples. You can see the Fibonacci sequence in action on pinecone or use of proportions in the human body. One instance that resonates with me on how new media objects are numerical representations is when I had to explain tessellations using a program. While creating the tessellations, there was quite a bit of math involved in designing them and having them show how tessellations work. Even in many TED Talks, where the speaker shows visually appealing statistics moving around and being appealing to watch, math was involved, both literally and in its creation. Perhaps a good example of digital code at work in new media objects is vector art. Vectors, mathematically, are lines that follow a certain equation and direction. Programs such as Photoshop or Illustrator are able to generate these vectors to create art.

Even art that has been scanned or photographed and later converted digitally require math. In this conversion, data is being converted and numbers and digital coding is inevitably involved in the process. They are put to work in converting the image into something we understand and can see. Every pixel you see on the screen was mathematically derived from some code. I believe that math is inextricable from art and even more so with new media arts.

Face Code 2134 (Kyoto) by Andreas Müller-Pohle is a still image that was created from video footage. Through digital manipulations, all the portraits adhere to a certain set of rules. The structures of the face, such as the eyes, nose, mouth and chin are located at a specific position. Scrolling through the portfolio online of the various portraits is eerily strange as it seems as if the eyes do not move all but the face changes. All the portraits depict a person with facial features in the same location, staring straight forward at the viewer.

Another aspect that Müller-Pohle included was the string of text at the bottom. The artist had opened the image as an ASCII text file and used this ASCII code to translate it to Japanese. Although I cannot read Japanese, I know that Japanese and Chinese bear many similarities in terms of writing. To me, these characters are nonsensical; it is just a string of randomly chosen characters. I would assume this would be the same if a Japanese reader were to read it. However, this string of random characters is the image’s “genetic makeup.” All the portraits in her portfolio show faces with the facial features positioned at certain positions but their “genetic makeup” is different. What does that say?

This is when I noticed something while going through the portfolio for Face Code for the first time, the people all look the same. However, you can notice the differences. Some have a slight smile. Others look confused. Some have a dull look in their eyes. Others have that twinkle in their eyes.

Perhaps it means that even though all these people look the same, they are all genetically different. If we go past the genetics, wouldn’t all these people portrayed be different anyway? Perhaps this piece means that while certain people may look the same or similar to someone else, that does not mean they are the exact same person. The randomly generated string of text symbolizes that these people are different. I believe that the point of Face Code is to show that we all have similarities but we are each uniquely different.

To view more of Face Code, visit Andreas Müller-Pohle’s site.

I have always known that plastic was bad for the environment and how it was important to recycle them. However, I did not know that plastics do not disintegrate but instead just become smaller pieces and continually pass through living organisms. In my lifetime, I do not think I went more than a day without interacting with some type of plastic. It makes me wonder, does anyone in this world go their entire lifetime without interacting with plastics? Aside from the few hidden tribes of people in rainforests, probably not many people. Plastic is such a pervasive substance. So many objects are composed of it to some degree. With the large quantity of plastics and combined with the fact that it never really disintegrates, I feel a sense of overwhelming fear for the future of our planet.

However, I should not be crippled by this overwhelming sense of doom. Bringing a sense of consciousness of how involved plastics are in our lives is also interesting as well. It is better to find alternatives and solutions rather than be crippled by the problem. I find myself more aware of how plastics enter my everyday life and what happens to it. I realize that while some plastics are recycled, many are discarded as trash. A plastic water bottle ends up in the recycling bin to be recycled. Plastic cling wrap ends up in the trash to be discarded since there is no further use for it. What could we do it about this? Is there any way this seemingly useless cling wrap can be recycled? It could also be used as part of a costume or part of a sculpture, giving it a new life. But how would it be recycled for other uses and make new items? For the sake of environment, I feel it is important to ensure that alternatives and solutions be developed to prevent plastics from harming the world even further.

Technology is overwhelming. The article has forced me to think back to the days when we did not have all this technology. But now I cannot imagine living life without what the article calls the instant and continuous pouring of the “concerns of all other men” and “dialogue on a global scale.” The differences between our generation and our ancestors is greater than before; we act, talk and think differently. The change is great but the present reality of the situation is strangely comforting knowing that there is someone out there who relates to you. A world once separated by distance can now be found as a conglomeration of information and data. There are children being born who have never known life without technology within their reach. Technology is the new medium of the future. Perhaps in the not so distant future, the technology of today will be extinct and only viewable in a museum, or whatever the equivalent is in the future.

While the mind comes up with the ideas. It is ultimately the hands that bring them to fruition. It is strange to think of our hands as a medium. The technology we have created and use today are thanks to the work done by someone’s hands. Someone had to write the code for all the apps and programs. Someone had to create and build the computers and other gadgets. While it starts from the mind, the hands make those ideas into reality. Technology will continue to advance and our hands will continue to bring it to life. That is until the use of our hands become obsolete as well.