Modal

Modal is an interactive installation exploring the tension between physical presence and digital identity. Developed as part of an MA in Interactive Media, the project investigates how abstract online data can be translated into tangible, physical form—and how that transformation changes our relationship to it.

The installation uses a grid of vertically actuated pins driven by servo motors and controlled via Arduino. Each pin is mapped to data gathered from a participant’s online social presence, causing the surface to rise and fall in response to otherwise invisible digital signals. What is typically remote, screen-based, and intangible becomes material, mechanical, and spatial.

The project involved concept development, physical prototyping, mechanical design, electronics, and data-to-form mapping. Modal acts as both a technical system and a reflective object—inviting participants to confront the physical weight and visibility of their digital footprint.