re|thread is an open collective of computer scientists, 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.
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 is an interactive installation that reveals what happens under the hood of a browser when you visit web pages.
Opening on October 26 2020 at Tekniska museet, Stockholm, Sweden
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.
A work in progress about the intersections between software and knitting: check out the Softwear blog
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?
A small gallery of visual responses to the question: "How is software shaping your experience during the covid-19 crisis?"
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.
A playful installation for children with old computer parts and generative sound and visuals.
An ongoing collection of pieces exploring the software and data structures triggered when searching for a query on Google.com
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.
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!2020-11-17 | https://intra.kth.se/en/eecs/aktuellt-pa-eecs/nyheter/mjukvara-och-textilkonst-med-nadia-campo-woytuk-1.1029145 |
2020-09-11 - 2020-09-12 | Browser Chance Music at the Visualia AV event |
2020-07-06 - 2020-07-20 | re|Traces of Search at the DIS 2020 online library |
2019-10-24 | https://www.kth.se/aktuellt/nyheter/konst-gor-undangomd-mjukvara-synlig-1.934548 |
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.
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!
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!