Random frames from Codework, an animated short in two partsCodework
Animated short in two parts, single channel projection
6 min, 24 seconds
2006
This work was exhibited first in a group show, "Ghosts in the Machine and other Tales" curated by Pooja Sood at the Apeejay Media Gallery in New Delhi. In Codework I have looked at a very simple piece of PHP (a scripting language widely deployed on the internet) code that enables a user to subscribe or unsubscribe to a mailing list. Through two small narratives, I formulate speculative scenarios to attempt an expanded annotation of this code. Though the code at hand is the primary focus, I also try to tentatively reflect on some of the larger implications for our cognitive understanding of the world around us. At a fundamental level Codework then is an invitation to engage with the technologies of software that undergrid the practices of our everyday life: sending and receiving e-mail, using search engines to ferret out information, sharing mp3 playlists, etc.
