This interactive piece is all about making the invisible visible. To create this project, I visited a coffee shop in New York City every day at around the same time for 7 days and scanned their open Wi-Fi network. Each scan generated a JSON file that included the hardware address and IP address associated with each device that was connected to this Wi-Fi network. I used the JSON files to create this p5.js sketch. As you move the mouse to the right of the screen, the hardware addresses are revealed followed by the IP addresses. This movement indicates a shift from the physical, visible world to the virtual, invisible world. If you move the mouse to the left of the screen, the opposite happens. The right and left arrow keys let you scroll through the scans of different days—the right arrow key allows you to move forward in time, while the left arrow key allows you to move backward. The more devices that were connected to the Wi-Fi network on a given day, the faster the text and colors on the screen change. Scroll down to explore the piece on desktop or check it out here!
