Critical Conversations: bridging pathways forward to greater understanding and creative solutions.

Data Crumb Relics: Emotional Archaeology of Digital Remains

By Yura Kang

"In the forgotten corners of our digital landscape lie fragments of our collective past: broken links, abandoned pages, and obsolete platforms slowly fading into obscurity. ""Data Crumb Relics"" transforms these ephemeral digital traces into tangible artifacts of cultural and emotional significance.

This project views artificial intelligence as both a tool and a historical lens representing a crucial slice of human intelligence history. AI serves as our archaeological partner, meticulously analyzing, reconstructing, and reinterpreting lost digital fragments. As we train machine learning models to identify and regenerate these digital remnants, we create a dialogue between past and present technological understanding, documenting the evolution of how machines interpret human expression.

By repurposing obsolete data rather than allowing it to vanish into digital oblivion, we align with sustainable digital practices while preserving AI's developmental timeline. Each artifact becomes a dual record, capturing both human digital expression and the AI methods used to recover it.
Visitors experience these relics through immersive installations that blend digital fabrication with tangible materials: resin-encased code fragments, projection-mapped memories, and interactive displays. These sensory encounters evoke emotional connections while documenting the progression of AI capabilities over time.

""Data Crumb Relics"" invites viewers to reconsider what we value in our digital lives, finding beauty in what was once considered disposable while chronicling AI’s ongoing role in human history, preserving both our digital past and the evolving relationship between human and machine intelligence."

A person in a tan shirt examines a small resin-cast tile containing mixed-media imagery, part of a larger display on a white table. Nine handmade tiles are laid out in rows, each embedding digital fragments, text, and electronics into translucent surfaces. Behind the table, printed posters feature scanned designs, research notes, and magnified images. A bright desk lamp and blue nitrile gloves are also visible, suggesting an interactive or delicate handling environment.
Close-up view of a white table displaying nine resin-cast data relic tiles embedded with text, circuitry, and visual fragments. A desk lamp illuminates the arrangement, while a box of nitrile gloves, a pair of blue gloves, and a vintage magazine are placed on the adjacent table. Posters pinned on the wall explain the project and show reference materials, including digital decay imagery and speculative designs.
Wider view of the exhibit installation titled “Data Crumb Relics from 2025.” A person in a tan shirt examines one of the resin-cast tiles on a lit table. The wall behind features enlarged posters with gold-toned graphics of digital artifacts preserved as speculative archeology. Titles on the posters read “DATA CRUMB RELICS FROM 2025” and “DESIGNING WHAT WE REMEMBER.” The space blends research, critical media, and art-based inquiry into digital preservation.
A visitor in a blue-and-white striped shirt leans over to closely examine a series of resin-cast digital relic tiles on a table. Behind them, posters titled “Data Crumb Relics from 2025” showcase conceptual renderings of digital decay and memory, with visual metaphors of technological erosion. A desk lamp lights the table, which also holds gloves and printed ephemera. The installation is designed to evoke tactile interaction and speculative history.