NEWS > 2014.07.14: PRESENTATION + PRINTS AT HOPE X
ENCRYPTION-BASED ART PROJECT FEATURED AT HACKER CONFERENCE

HOPE X is the 10th edition of HOPE — Hackers On Planet Earth — a biennial conference based in New York City since 1994, and known as one the most creative and diverse hacker gatherings in the world. This edition of HOPE runs from Friday, July 17 to Sunday, July 19, 2014, and is particularly focused on issues of security, privacy, and civil liberties. The provocative and enlightening lineup of presenters includes Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg, Thomas Drake, and dozens of other activists, technologists, artists, and researchers.

Maximus Clarke’s HOPE X presentation focuses on PER SPECULUM IN ÆNIGMATE, his art project about privacy and exposure that also functions as a secure messaging system. Concerned by news of government and corporate surveillance, Clarke invited half a dozen people to send him PGP-encrypted emails, from which he created QR codes. He overlaid the codes onto pixelated 3D pictures of an anonymous model, and posted the images to the project’s Tumblr, for recipients to download and decrypt.

Clarke’s presentation will showcase the images (3D glasses will be provided), and discuss the concepts, technologies, and processes involved in the project’s creation. The talk takes place on Friday, July 18, 2014, at 5pm, in the Olson room. 16″ x 16″ prints of all the images will also be on view for the duration of HOPE X, in the art space on the mezzanine level; limited quantities will be available for purchase from the artist.