As we go about our daily lives we constantly leave traces. Fragments of us are recorded in countless dispersed databases. From our credit history to the library book that was never returned, our every move is tracked and filed. This memory of our deeds, miss-steps, health, and habits constitutes our electronic identity. More and more, it is this ethereal identity that defines our ability to function in an information culture. Race, gender, ethnicity, language, and sexuality are encoded into this identity, and individual privacy is increasingly difficult to protect both technically and legally. Some have even declared the death of privacy. Identities are bought, sold, and stolen like any other commodity.

Dataskins is a mirror (full-length or vanity depending upon space) in which you see your reflection as random bits of data. As you pass in front of the full-length mirror, an ultrasonic sensor tracks your presence and visually collages sampled personal data: credit, DMV, medical, library, and tax information. The data flows over your physical reflection. The tone of the fragments is sometimes accusatory and sometimes congratulatory. Imagery shifts from bodily, organic rhythms to information flows while you stand in front of the mirror. Once you leave, the mirror returns to its ordinary, reflective state.

Commissioned by Jamaica Center for the Arts with funding from the NEA and Warhol Foundation. Additional funding provided by a Drescher Felllowship.