Drop

'Dead Drops', an art project by Aram Bartholl, has resulted in an array of digital/physical engagement. USB flash drives poke out inquisitively throughout a digitally saavy New York City, barely revealing the metallic port which defines what it is. It is also the only part of the device which does the connecting. So essentially, within our physical environment, pools of data is up for grabs, or indeed, at the ready to be contributed to.

What is fascinating is that digital interaction is rarely such a bodily gesture but this quirky street installation makes it one. Internet, wireless, Bluetooth... none of that makes us plug in our laptops at a concrete (or, more correctly, mortared) location. It is a piece of public art that teases out the relationships of what we unconsciously do digitally - sharing all the time, endless streams of anything, anywhere.