Ce n'est pas la vérité

Gaby Jadick | Final Project Idea

"Ceci n'est pas une pipe" 1928-1929

Rene Magritte

I was thinking about this painting when I was coming up with the concept for my final project. Magritte was challenging how we look at art. We often look at a painting as if it is the thing, but really it is only a representation of the thing. That’s what Magritte meant by “this is not a pipe.” Though it looks like a realistic pipe, it is not really a pipe. What I want to challenge in my final project is how we think about and consume information from the internet. There is so much data and information constantly bombarding us that the lines between truth and fallacy becomes unclear. The sources of information may or may not be reliable, however we are so desensitized to this constant bombardment, that we do not question what is happening. We instead, are unknowing participants in the circulation of information that we identify as truth or not based on our own personal backgrounds and biases. In 1998 Vinton G. Gerf said “the power of the Internet is like a two-edged sword. It can also deliver misinformation and uncorroborated opinion with equal ease. The thoughtful and thoughtless co-exist side by side in the Internet’s electronic universe. What’s to be done?” in the article “Truth and the Internet.” To deliver my concept, I want to create visuals that begin to ease you in, then before you know it you are "falling" through endless data. I want to incorporate binary code, as it is the basic language of the internet. Everything you see, whether it is true or not, boils down to 0's and 1's. I think it would also be important to include adio as well so it is an immersive experience. I was originally going to approach this project from a political stance, however I think I will also include scientific as well as random and useless information that exists on the internet.