Protocol Exhibition
The PILL program, part of SoP 2024, was a small grants program designed to explore the emerging lore and literacy around protocols through art, fiction, and other small creative explorations. The result is this exhibition of fascinating works we hope you will enjoy exploring.
This exhibition forms the Virtual Exhibition track of Protocol Symposium 2024 (Sept 16-30). You can sign up for that here. There will be some sessions related to the works on this page in the unconference portion of the symposium.
A Pattern Language for Digital Spaces
We increasingly rely on digital spaces. Yet without a common language for them, we cannot imagine, articulate, and realize a shared future.
We can summarize patterns that aid human flourishing, and form languages to imagine collectively. This idea, referred to as “pattern language”, was first used by architects to enable ordinary… Read More
all just fresh-off-the-boat or floating
This is a multi-node real-time video protocol for nodes of cameras to un-expose, to see, to be masked, to meet each other, to be displaced while being here simultaneously, and to float in-between—all through the tunnel and narrative of the virtual private network—connection as material, protocol as aesthetics. It is… Read More
Below the API
Marcie, a struggling potter, finds herself thrust into an unexpected whirlwind of success when her AI agent, Navi, transforms her art into a viral sensation. Quiet mornings at the wheel become a never-ending hustle as orders flood in for her black clay pottery, but as Marcie delves deeper into the… Read More
Farflora: AI-Agent Regenerating Natural Garden Protocol
Farflora is an exploration of generative art NFTs, experimentally integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the generative art creation process. Generative art typically involves autonomous systems, which can independently influence the characteristics of the artwork without direct human intervention. In this case, the project expands on traditional on-chain generative art, which… Read More
FutureRack
The 19-inch equipment rack format found in data centers has been used as a highly flexible technical standard since before the internet’s emergence. Devices of varied shapes and sizes fit within a wide range of rack configurations which may be mounted on walls or on wheels, transported onto stages and… Read More
Meet me on the deep net
*Meet me on the deep net* is a tiny browser-based game about crossing an ocean to meet a stranger. It explores intimacy, trust, and the rituals of establishing connection while being anonymous.
Memories of Us
How will the future remember us? How will we remember ourselves as we live through the discontinuity and trauma of these times? What will we tell our children?
In 2045 a network of memory sanctuaries have emerged to gather, sustain and breathe life into localised memories of people and place. In… Read More
Micronaut Odyssey
Inspired by scientist Michael Levin’s research on xenobots, Micronaut Odyssey imagines a future of microbial robots wandering in space.
As completely biological robots made from living cells, Xenobots can perform specific tasks without being genetically edited. In the future, they could help repair human tissues, remove pollutants, generate human organs, and… Read More
On-chain Data Sculpture Exhibition
The on-chain world is shaped by the data we own, and current data visualization tools are not enough for us to actively connect with our data. Do I understand my data? Can I interact with my data? How can I connect with others through my data? We need more diverse… Read More
Protocol with uncommunicables
The goal of this program is to understand how could we protocol with uncommunicables, and what is protocol means to us.
protocol.guide
The goal of this project is simple: to create a resource that helps people understand what protocols are and why they matter. The motivation was to build a site that introduces protocols in a way that is accessible, engaging, and practical. It isn’t a comprehensive index or a wiki but… Read More
Renotations
A prototype for a kit providing instructions, suggestions, and tools for reassigning the various information in a musical score. The demonstration includes musical examples and conceptual discussion, especially the role aesthetics play in the experience of protocols.
This project may be considered a “specialist PILL” — an invitation for a pre-existing… Read More
Technium Underground: The Eternal Return of Hara
One day, people were astonished to find that the long-dormant DApps had come back to life, like ghosts in the night, quietly growing in the void. Hidden within the transaction logs of abnormal blocks, a cryptic string of clues emerged, leading back to a silent plan—a mysterious breeding experiment of… Read More
Terminal Highway
Origin story of a protocol drifter who stumbles into becoming a sleuth
The Caucus
This short story explores a possible Liquid Democracy protocol in which citizens have significantly more input on ballot propositions and lawmaking. It follow a high schooler who is attending a caucus to vote on a new proposition and finds herself confronted with the complicated relationships of delegates, experts, activists, and… Read More