_BASIC INFO

You are modifying the ‘header‘ or instructions of how the digital image is told to render.

Through the precise mishandling of this region within the digital structure, the image is forced to display according to how you set the values.


_DETAILED INFO

A major task within this thesis was the mapping and exploration of EVERY offset that composes the digital image header. Comprised of 600+ individual bytes, it became analogous to a favorite past time, crate digging. That is digging (flipping) through the crates of old vinyl LPs at a local thrift store, in pursuit of that gem, which is lost, amongst copious quantities of garbage. Slowly working through every offset of the header, changing the values by a few degrees, it became a regular experience to be greeted by an enlarged question mark, signifying that the image had just been killed, thus rendering it garbage. While this task had been originally done with the use of a hex-editor, a steady progression of programming knowledge enabled the design and development of an online tool perfectly suited for this type of exploration. On the left, access is given to the entire header of the image. In this particular viewing mode, only the malleable offsets have been highlighted and activated, allowing the user to explore without the worry of killing the image. As the integrity of the pictorial content suffers under each manipulation that is sought, it seemed fitting to have the user begin with an image they would recognize most, their own self-portrait. With a webcam present, the user can take an instant snapshot, thus casting their reflection into a numerical playground. What begins as a sort of guessing game, quickly develops into the precise knowledge of how the image surface will react upon x, y, z modifications to the digital structure.

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