HEAT

THE ALGORITHM explores the power of text and readymade fonts to frame the unfolding digital era. The series follows on from the PLAYLIST project (2017-2020), which observed the zeitgeist through the lens of slogans and civil protest. In a nod to The Matrix (1999) and the Netflix docufilm The Social Dilemma (2020) the trigger is the idea of The Algorithm as a 21st century god. Crafted by humans in code rather than from clay or bronze, this deity retains traditional godly attributes – it is mysterious and invisible, omnipresent, all-powerful and all-knowing, both a boon and malevolent.

These works also connect to the SHOCK&AWE series. The rise of bureaucracy post-9/11 became palpable as a result of the US Patriots Act, passed just 45 days after 9/11. Partly intended to stop terrorists moving money it made all our financial lives more difficult, the presumption of innocence was no more. New jargon and acronyms emerged – compliance, know your customer (KYC), anti-money laundering (AML), enhanced due diligence (EDD), source of funds and so on. In a sense, bureaucracy subverted democracy. Big data tech enabled this huge change and two decades later spawned The Algorithm.