dotcolm  QR

QR Code Conceptual Explorations 

This page exemplifies various conceptual explorations I’ve been developing with the qr code as the focal point of each work. The qr code has a beautiful, and subtly undermined form factor—this design has been integrated heavily into American culture as of 2021. I believe this advancement in technology will continue to be in use for a while, and has the potential for use beyond its initial, intended function as a barcode-type scanner.


untitled (GI), Intro Sequence (2021) 

Intro sequence created using experimental methods of production and editing.

This sequence is from a short film/observational documentary I made after a visit to Gary, Indiana in May of 2021.






Escape From The Planet (2021) 

Screen-printed and dyed canvas fabric (qr code camouflage iteration).

In America, the general public’s safety and security became of great concern post 9/11, consequently creating an environment in which surveillance technology could thrive. In 2021, America and many other countries, can look like surveillance states if you seek out the cameras around cities and urban environments. To me, having so many cameras constantly recording is a huge privacy concern—there is an underlying sense that we are always being watched. This relates to public protests as well; individuals in the past few years have been arrested due to playback of surveillance footage that revealed/detected faces.

How might we empower ourselves as individuals? Can we regain a sense of privacy by using technology? My approach was to create and use a camouflage pattern composed of qr codes. This pattern would ideally be used for clothing—masks, jumpsuits, uniforms, etc. The idea is that cameras would pick up and focus on the qr codes instead of an individual’s face or body; simultaneously allowing the qr codes to create human interaction and interest (as well as containing any kind of information). This concept is quite open source—I would love for others to collaborate and adapt this idea to how it would best fit their needs.

For this particular iteration of the qr code camouflage, I wanted to focus on the idea of urbanization. Urbanization is something I think about often since I have lived in major cities (Los Angeles, Chicago) and a more rural city (Eugene, OR). This issue has contributed to a disconnection from nature, impacting natural ecosystems and other species. Throughout my life and travels, I have noticed how an unequal access to nature exists as well as the technological impacts (which lead to passivity) that create wedges in between humans and nature.

I present the qr code camouflage as an aesthetic object, but it is intended to work more functionally. This pattern has been intentionally curated with qr codes that scan to various scientific journals, articles, audio, and video relative to the concept of urbanization. Furthermore, the scope of this work is concerned with the positive impacts of nature on health and well-being, through the use of screen-printing, dyeing fabrics, contact sheet stencils, and screen-filler.

With qr codes, it is crucial to consider what is seen and unseen—humans are seemingly blind to the information qr codes present without the use of cameras/technology and cameras can sometimes be blind to the content of images without the help of a human eye. As accessible and immediate as the general stream of information can be (on the internet and through web searches), information can equally go unnoticed and overlooked. The content we receive is shaped by complex algorithms which might favor some information over others. Having human-curated information could be a solution, pointing people in a certain direction with hopefully a more robust, quality cluster of data to learn from.






untitled, web explorations (2020)

Experimental generative-art web pages created using the HTML, CSS, and JS programming languages.

Special thank you to Doug Rosman for helping guide and realize these projects.




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