Ghosts In The Machine

Ghosts In The Machine is an exploration into quines; a computer program which takes no input and outputs only its own source code. This artwork differs in that it takes one single input, a hash, and in addition to displaying the source code of the software itself, an emergent ethereal figure exists within the image.

The term "Ghost in the machine" also refers to the concept of the mind existing alongside and separate from the body or of emergent consciousness within a computer. This concept has always intrigued the artist and made her question if something is simply the sum of its parts or if there is something more. The code which generates the outputs for Ghosts In The Machine are just letters and numbers after all. But when these letters and numbers are combined in the right order, this specific image appears. Is it simply code? Or is the combination of all the characters which comprise the software something more? Human bodies are just cells and electrical pulses, but when these things are combined in the right manner, our minds and consciousness appear. Are we simply the cells that comprise our bodies? Or is the sum of all our parts, when arranged in the right order, something more?

Ghosts In The Machine may appear to be static, it is actually animated. The artwork updates every minute, slowly morphing and changing over a 24 hour period. Resulting in a shape-shifting figure that evolves and loops every day. What you see one minute will be different than the next.

Note: The render preview is set for >30 seconds. Please allow time for the preview to render.