-1 Digital Lab
Inside the Surface
Installation, Azusa Matsukubo, 2023
Inside the Surface delves into the often overlooked social and environmental implications of media devices, including their overconsumption. Azusa Matsukubo is concerned by how little consideration is put into the intricate composition of digital and technological devices in all of their messiness, as opposed to perspectives that favor a more sleek and aesthetically pleasing view of everyday technical objects.
Azusa’s methodology consists of disassembling and damaging what might otherwise be seen as perfectly working computer monitors and television screens. Through this process, the designer aims to unveil the complex layers of materials and technologies that constitute ubiquitous digital interfaces. She exposes the inner workings of these devices by manipulating light, signals, colors, minerals, compounds, and various other components that are often hidden from view to the average consumer. By doing so, Inside the Surface challenges viewers to confront the tangible realities behind the digital images we encounter on a daily basis, in hopes that we can critically reflect upon our habits of consumption.