Enter the Machine

A portrait studio for digital entities

snowden-archive

All 474 leaked NSA (National Security Agency) documents made public by Edward Snowden in June, 2013.

The Subject of this Portrait

At the time this portrait was created, the subject was available online at github.com/iamcryptoki/snowden-archive 

Image of a (classified) text-based PDF that begins ‘TOP SECRET//SI//NOFORN UNITED STATES SURVEILLANCE COURT WASHINGTON D.C” and continues by listing an official order of the above court as it applies to the FBI’
Excerpt from Edward Snowden’s leaked data archive
Image of a redacted PDF that begins, “TOP SECRET//COMINT//NOFORN//MR – Targeting Rationale (TAR) – The basic premise of this process is to memorialize why you, the analyst have requested training.” The (classified) document goes on to discuss “Targeting Rationale” with several lines blacked out towards the end.
Excerpt from Edward Snowden’s leaked data archive
Image of a slide seemingly from a PowerPoint presentation that begins, ‘UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY – (U) – Lesson 4: So you got U.S. Person Information?’ It has the following columns: How, What did you do?, What do you do now, and Comments. It has the following rows: Intentional, Inadvertent, Incidental, Reverse.
Excerpt from Edward Snowden’s leaked data archive

Attributes

Subject Name
snowden-archive
Subject Creation Date
01/21/2017
Subject Weight
693,259,522 bytes (693.2 MB)
Subject Location
github.com/iamcryptoki/snowden-archive
Entities in Portrait
6 Directories, 474 Files
Entity Types in Portrait
PDF
Portrait Type
Group

Portrait Details

An algorithmically generated image of a constellation of white clusters of pixels on a black background
Portrait detail
An algorithmically generated detail image of black clusters of pixels, loosely linked together via straight lines, on a white background
Portrait detail
Algorithmically generated image of thick strands of white, organically shaped clusters of pixels on a black background
Portrait detail

Enter The Machine portraits are interactive in different ways. Below are the supported interactions for this specific portrait.

ActionDesktopTouch Devices
Start/stop animationSpacebar or Hold tap for 2s then
Toggle sounds or Hold tap for 2s then
Zoom (stop animation, then) scroll wheelpinch and zoom
Pan (stop animation, then) click and draghold and drag
Rotate (stop animation, then) shift + alt/option and dragpinch and rotate
Fullscreenf–

Documentation of this internet-native artwork is stored permanently on blockchain should future changes in web-based technologies affect how it displays.

Permalink
arweave.net/3kU23CIwH5bAlOKdvLWVYqx5V23YHX71lUYm1JHaudE
Format
video/quicktime
Resolution
1296 x 2304
Duration
5'18
Transaction
viewblock.io/arweave/tx/3kU23CIwH5bAlOKdvLWVYqx5V23YHX71lUYm1JHaudE

Artist
Eric Corriel
Sound Design
Chris Child

Have an idea for a portrait of a famous digital file? Make a suggestion.