How do we see an image?
This photographic installation deconstructs the duality of perception—how humans see an image as a story of light, texture, and emotion, while cameras decode it into a precise stream of hex codes. A single photograph, vibrant and tactile, is overlaid with flowing digital codes, revealing the unseen infrastructure of data that surrounds and shapes our
visual experiences.
It invites viewers to reflect on how we perceive images instinctively, while cameras and algorithms interpret them through a matrix of binary information. This interplay of the tangible and the digital mirrors the world we inhabit—a reality where every image, every interaction, is underpinned by an unseen stream of data, much like an invisible layer of existence. The installation poetically reveals the hidden language of the digital cosmos, urging us to reconsider the relationship between what we see and the invisible networks that silently construct our modern world.
When we see a photograph, we instinctively observe colors, shapes, and textures, connecting emotionally to the image and its narrative. The camera, however, perceives the world differently, through the lens of computational precision. It deciphers light into measurable values, translating it into binary data that can be stored, manipulated, and displayed. This installation reveals this hidden digital reality, where every pixel carries a wealth of encoded information, imperceptible to the naked eye but essential to the existence of the image. Drawing from the analogy of human cognition, the installation highlights the parallels between how the human brain interprets visual stimuli and how cameras process light. The flowing codes mimic neural impulses, transforming raw data into a visual form. These codes have been extracted with the use of hex editor. By showcasing this simultaneous existence of the visible and the encoded, the work invites us to consider the camera not just as a tool but as a collaborator in visual storytelling—an entity that transforms the intangible properties of light into a tangible photograph. This immersive experience is not merely a study of the technical mechanics behind a photograph but an invitation to reflect on the question: How do we truly see? By decoding the intricate language of the camera, this installation connects the poetic and the technical, offering a window into the dimensions of photography that often go unnoticed.