Personal Computer
Zarrin Karimi
What does it mean to exist in a digital space? The desktop is a sacred place, filled or vacant; a space to be organized at whim by its digital dweller. Personal Computer is a project that explores my own desktop both as a portrait of digital identity and intimate interaction with anonymity. What can one learn from an intimate exploration of another’s space? The desktop is a transitional space and maintains remnants of its life. Screenshots resemble ghost prints left behind. They act as reminders of what was once relevant in our lives. Over time, they lose their meaning and context and exist purely as archival digital waste—constructing a narrative across time and space. What can be uncovered and/or forgotten/overlooked? Personal Computer explores digital organization and identity in a book and interactive space. The project allows others to experience my personal computer both in a physical, ephemeral form and as a curated digital space to navigate. Personal Computer aims to explore people’s relationship with space, comfort, and privacy.