PORTAL III (five noise algorithms)· Feb 2023

installation

The third and final installment of PORTAL explores the theme of entropy with custom-written random number generators. Generating true random numbers has always been impossible using deterministic methods alone, as nature itself cannot be simulated with infinitesimal precision.

Here, microcontrollers programmed in C calculate pseudo-random numbers and display them on LCDs, with each number being represented by a single pixel. Every microcontroller uses a unique algorithm for producing pseudo-random numbers. The central single board computer connects to the internet and creates true-random numbers by scanning the IPv4 address space - sampling the noise of the internet.

Installed at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, for Rundgang 2023.