software + art

re|thread is a collective of software researchers, artists, and designers, in Stockholm (Sweden). Our work lies at the intersection between software technology, art, interaction design, sonification, and visualization, and focuses on the use of software as the material and medium for artistic creation. Our work is fueled by the interest to explore the dynamic nature of software from multiple perspectives, addressing its many layers; from the sublimity and detail of each execution to the societal and political impact it has on our lives.

Through our work we aim to establish emotional and reflective bonds between citizens and the software that constantly surrounds us, transforming the way we experience software, and allowing for participation and collective imaginings of what software is and what we might want it to be. We see art as a means to explore these affective connections. Through artifacts and performances, we intend to cultivate curiosity of the scientific and technical aspects of software which appear to many as a “black box”. When presenting these obscure and perplexing concepts as open or shared and as aesthetically enchanting, knowledge about software can become accessible to citizens, allowing for informed decisions and more radically diverse systems of education and production.

Links

Projects / experiments

myriad
Photo: @glidephotos - Martynas Justinevicius

myriad

myriad explores the themes of origin, contribution, inspiration and accreditation in human expression and creation, through the example of digital artworks and the software used to create them.

[re|in]verse

[re|in]verse

[re|in]verse is a light, sound and water installation that reveals the extraordinary software layers involved in the core matrix operations that power the scientific work of Nobel laureates and their teams.

It was created for Nobel Week Lights 2023, and in collaboration with Jaime Reyes.

sys|calls

sys|calls

sys|calls is an immersive installation and series of live performances exploring the sublime inner workings of software, made in collaboration with Jaime Reyes.

re|cord

re|cord

re|cord is a concept album with selected pieces of sonified software and data from more that 3 years of practise by re|thread.

A re|lease party was held at Den Fantastiska Platsen on May the 4th (Star Wars Day), 2023.

un|fold

un|fold

un|fold is a multidimensional light and sound sculpture, created for the historic Turbine Hall at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, as part of the Nobel Week Lights 2022. It contrasts the simplicity of digital actions that can be used to explain complex chemical processes with the actual complexity and intricacies of the software traces that perform these actions.

kulturnatt

cyber|glow at the Broms Palace

cyber|glow is an audiovisual interactive installation. It reveals the invisible and live software traces that operate an interactive game. cyber|glow enchants visitors with a large-scale multi-player quiz game tailored to the context where it is presented. Through particle system visualisations and a tactile sonification, cyber|glow reveals the intangible layers of code and data that run the game.

cyber|glow

cyber|glow at Benny Fredrikssons torg

cyber|glow is a light installation, generated in real time based on the interactions of the visitors. It reveals the invisible and live software traces that operate an interactive game. cyber|glow enchants visitors with a large-scale multi-player game where they learn about Nobel discoveries. cyber|glow reveals the intangible layers of code and data that run the game, through a generative laser projection.

Browser Chance Music

Browser Chance Music at KMH

BCM creates a space for a radically different relationship between user and software. Evanescent and imperceptible internet activity emanating from a smartphone is revealed through immersive sounds and visuals.

This project is a collaboration between the re|thread collective and Henrik Frisk, professor of music at KMH, and funded by NAVET.

Drift

This online exhition lets you discover the intricate strata of code and network that operate to deliver the content of a search. And Drift reveals how these strata continuously evolve, even behind what seems a very well known, stable, familiar web site.

RFC 675:08

RFC:675:08

RFC:675:08 is a visual installation at the intersection of science & art for the Nobel Week of Lights It is performed at the heart of Stockholm, on the Kungsgatan LED screen.

This artwork unveils the data transmitted from Stockholm to the world through the internetwork Transmission Control Program [TCP] and its interface to programs or citizens that require its services.

Pellow
Photo: Anna Gerdén, Tekniska museet

Pellow

Pellow is an interactive installation that reveals what happens under the hood of a browser when you visit web pages.

Browser Chance Music

Browser Chance Music

BCM creates a space for a radically different relationship between user and software. Evanescent and imperceptible internet activity emanating from a smartphone is revealed through immersive sounds and visuals.

This project is a collaboration between the re|thread collective and Henrik Frisk, professor of music at KMH, and funded by NAVET.

softwear

A work in progress about the intersections between software and knitting: check out the Softwear blog

session x01 - browser fingerprinting

Online exhibition on browser fingerprinting. Are you unique on the internet? What’s left of you when you leave a web page? How entangled are you and your device? Is your browser in the artwork or is the artwork in your browser?

software in times of corona

A small gallery of visual responses to the question: "How is software shaping your experience during the covid-19 crisis?"

re|Traces of Search

The audiovisual software art installation ’re|Traces of Search’ probes human-software relationships by examining in detail a specific and situated action: searching on the web.

re|trash

A playful installation for children with old computer parts and generative sound and visuals.

re|quest

An ongoing collection of pieces exploring the software and data structures triggered when searching for a query on Google.com

ci-poetry

The interactive installation ci-poetry simulates the concept of collaborative coding or continuous integration (CI) through generative poetry creation. The installation has been designed for the specific context of R1, Sweden’s first reactor hall, now dismantled and used as a cultural venue. In the installation, a collective poem is composed and sonified by 12 “poets” who each contribute with a line of their own source poem.

ci art hackathon 2019

Passionate and creative software students, software developers, artists, designers and curious citizens participated in the first ever performance of software art based on continuous integration data. During this hackathon, 23 teams delved into the extraordinary activity that occurs in a continuous integration server through visual and sound representations.

Visit the hackathon archive here!
  • tangible interaction
  • sound
  • screen-based
  • installation

re|thread in the world

Visualia - September 2020

re|thread took part in the Visualia AV event organised by Nordic Audiovisual Artists (NAVA) 11-12 September 2020 with the Browser Chance Music project as a smaller and more intimate installation setup.

More about the Browser Chance Music project here.

session x01 - browser fingerprinting online exhibition April 2020

On 22 April 2020 we opened the virtual doors to this online exhibition on browser fingerprinting. There was art, an emoji party and a chat where people could ask questions and share their experiences.

Read all about it on its project page.

Thank you to all who attended, chatted, downloaded the gift package and donated their fingerprints to the archive!

Fotografiska AV Meetup February 2020

We had such inspiring conversations with artists and scientists alike at the AV meetup organised at Fotografiska Studio Live. A big thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts and ideas on our work and their own!

Who we are

Maria Roni Erik
Maria Roni Erik
Artist, information experience designer and researcher.

Website

Programmer and artist.

Website

Artist, musician, audiovisual composer.

Website

Benoit
Benoit
Professor in Software Technology.

Website

Past members

Nadia Thomas Jonathan
Nadia Thomas Jonathan
Artist, interaction designer and researcher.

Website

Postdoc in Software Engineering.

Website

Interaction designer and researcher.

Website

Get in touch