This project is based on a poetic interpretation of the maxim “Be Careful What You Wish For”. The title of the work, Wish4[0], is a truncation – and linguistic reworking – of the idea of wish fulfilment in the digital age. The project examines how willing users and audience members are subjected to an “always-on” news cycle, where social media and content streaming are the preferred method of information sourcing and privacy is an elastic concept.
The inspiration for Wish4[0] came from an article describing how the use of mobile devices right before bed makes the production of melatonin – a substance human bodies produce naturally in order to induce sleep – less likely. This disruption of our normal sleep cycle via our voluntary use of tech designed for ease-of-use led me to ponder the allure of the digital news cycle – how many of us feel compelled to be perpetually connected, 24/7, to shareable “news”?
Wish4[0] explores the pull of a user’s desire to be continually digitally connected. This project takes as its inspiration this perpetual tugging at a user’s consciousness by the digital: each day, for 40 days, I’ll create and post a creative response that will take as its immediate inspiration a headline – or item - drawn from the electronic news cycle of that specific day.
Many of the posts use a hybrid language of code conventions and English [called “mezangelle”] in their construction. Please click here if you're unfamiliar with it.
Wish4[0] is a digital project by Mez Breeze [@MezBreezeDesign].
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
