The SOUL Machine

Everywhere we go in public, we are surveilled by cameras operated by public authorities or private companies. Through these mechanical eyes, our bodies become an extension of public space as the data generated by them become a tradable currency. Interested private or public parties trade the data and surplus value between themselves to train future technologies such as machine learning algorithms. Such is the Surplus of Our Urban Lives – our S.O.U.Ls.

Designed, is a portable CCTV tower disguised as a pachinko game machine that watches over passersby and gathers data that it deems valuable. By playing the game, the public explores their relationship with their data—how would you feel about your data being extracted without your consent? Would you walk away from this intrusion of data privacy, or would you play this rigged game for a chance to have your data deleted?