User:XiaoXuan Soda/T2 Assessment

Before I came to XPUB and Why I choose here

Before coming to XPUB, I studied photography at a media university in China. Our teachers mainly focused on documentary photography, especially around social issues, and encouraged us to use photography as a way to promote social change.

One of our senior alumni, Wang Jiuliang, made two documentaries—Beijing Besieged by Waste and Plastic China—both of which had a significant impact on the development of environmental policies in China. This deeply affected me and made me realize that certain forms of effort can indeed lead to tangible results.

However, after four years of studying photography, I began to feel the limitations of the medium itself. As a result, I started shifting towards more interactive and installation-based practices to express my ideas.

When I read about the XPUB programme, I noticed that people were working across a wide range of media and approaches. It made me feel that I could also explore beyond a single medium—this is why I decided to come here.

Sum up！📸💡⚡️👷🏗️ About my work after come to the XPUB!!!

The first interview in Rotterdam at night

About the worm radio project - Rotterdam night interview

I believe that Rotterdam itself is a huge writing machine. People living here constantly create stories. So I decided to interview those who are still active on the streets of this city at night, asking them for their views on the city and their stories.

During this process, I also noticed that there are many homeless people in this city, which sparked my interest in their situation. I began to wonder how they survive, why they have become homeless, and whether their condition is the result of structural issues, government policies, or personal circumstances.

These questions drew me into further investigation, which eventually led to the following development (see point 6).

Link：SI28-Radio-Worm/Week4

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Audiences on Public-Event

About that wood installation art work I made

This work becomes a way for me to reflect on and express my understanding of Rotterdam’s multicultural condition. This was my first time presenting an installation work in a group exhibition. The vibe here was great, and the audience engaged thoughtfully with each artist’s work.

I really value this kind of opportunity to share my work in a public setting. Being able to have my work seen and experienced by others made me feel genuinely happy.

Link：Projects SI 28/Water Vessel Dwelling in Temporality

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Screen shot of picture and Videos

Record picture & video of SI28 Public-Event

During the public event, I took on a documentary role, producing a visual record of each work through both photography and video.

Link：Pictures of SI28

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In the name of XPUB

Amazine

With everyone’s help, I gradually completed my introduction to CSS and designed my own section of the SI28 publication. I personally really like this design!

Try the directory tree script

img {
    float: left !important;
    margin: 10px 10px 10px 0; /* 左边留空间让文字环绕 */
    max-width: 60%;
    height: auto;
}

.clear { clear: both; 
}

.box {
    background-color: #f0f0f0; /* 底色 */
    background-image: radial-gradient(circle, #ccc 10%, transparent 10%);
    background-size: 20px 20px; /* 控制斑点大小和间距 */
}

@page:left {
	@top-center {
		content: '';
		margin-top: 8mm;
		width: 100%;
		border-bottom: 1.2pt solid black;
	}
	@bottom-left {
    content: 'Public-Event';
		font-size: 7pt;
		margin-bottom: 9.5mm;
		white-space: nowrap;
	}
	@bottom-center {
		content: '';
		border-top: 1.2pt solid black;
		width: 100%;
	}
	@bottom-right {
    content: 'Let us unite!';
		font-size: 7pt;
		font-style: italic;
		margin-bottom: 9.5mm;
		white-space: nowrap;
	}
}

@page:right {
	@top-center {
		content: '';
		margin-top: 8mm;
		width: 100%;
		border-bottom: 1.2pt solid black;
	}
	@bottom-left {
    content: 'Public-Event';
		font-size: 7pt;
		margin-bottom: 9.5mm;
		white-space: nowrap;
	}
	@bottom-center {
		content: '';
		width: 100%;
		border-top: 1.2pt solid black;
	}
	@bottom-right {
    content: 'In the name of XPUB';
		font-size: 7pt;
		margin-bottom: 9.5mm;
		white-space: nowrap;
	}
}

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python generate .html

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Python Practice ! ! !

Use python generating html file and directory tree.

I followed what I learned and made it work ! ! !

Although I’m not personally very interested in HTML and CSS, I still engaged with the practice and learned a lot from it.

To be honest, working with HTML and CSS can play an important role in building a more decentralized web. It allows individuals to freely publish content within their own or collectively created platforms, without being subject to censorship or evaluated by capital-driven standards of value. I think this is very important.

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About our（Ema and Me） IR signal test and prototype project

Inspiration

The idea started from the workshop classes host by Dorian, which focused on file transmission. At that time, I began thinking about how I could use a micro-controller development board, like Arduino, to make some kind of file transfer system, and also make the process a bit more interesting.

Then I thought about using infrared signals. We could build a simple pair of transmitter and receiver, and test what happens when someone walks through the space where the signal is being transmitted. Would the signal get blocked? And would the receiver produce some unexpected or interesting feedback?

The project comes from this simple curiosity—how human presence can unintentionally interfere with a system like this.

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Theme

Human as Noise

This project reframes the human body not as a user of technology, but as a source of noise within a technical system. As participants move through the space, their presence unintentionally interferes with signal transmission, producing errors, distortions, and disruptions. Rather than intentional interaction, the work emphasizes unconscious influence, positioning the human as an unpredictable variable. In this sense, the body becomes part of the system’s instability, revealing how technological processes are continuously shaped by factors beyond control. The work challenges the assumption that humans operate technology, suggesting instead that they are embedded within its fluctuating conditions.

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Invisible Infrastructure

Contemporary life is structured by invisible technological infrastructures such as wireless signals, data transmission, and network connectivity. These systems operate continuously yet remain largely imperceptible. This work seeks to render such infrastructures visible by translating signal behavior into perceivable outputs. By exposing moments when transmission fails or fluctuates, it reveals the hidden presence of these systems in everyday space. The project invites viewers to reconsider their relationship to technology—not as something external or tool-like, but as an ambient condition that surrounds and shapes human experience without direct awareness.

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Fragility of Communication

Digital communication is often perceived as stable, seamless, and reliable. However, this work highlights its inherent fragility. Through the use of infrared transmission, the system becomes sensitive to minor disruptions caused by human movement, resulting in corrupted or incomplete data transfer. These failures expose the instability underlying seemingly precise technological processes. By foregrounding error, delay, and distortion, the project questions the assumption of perfect communication. It suggests that all transmission is contingent, mediated, and vulnerable, and that meaning itself may be altered through interference.

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Ethics of Technological Systems

The project raises questions about the ethical relationship between humans and technological systems. If human presence can unintentionally disrupt communication, it also suggests that systems may influence human behavior in equally subtle ways. This reciprocal relationship complicates the idea of control: are humans directing technology, or are they being shaped by it? By positioning the body within a network of signals and responses, the work encourages reflection on agency, responsibility, and awareness. It opens a space to consider how invisible systems structure perception, behavior, and interaction in contemporary life.

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System, Space, and Interaction

The work constructs a spatial system in which signal transmission defines an invisible architecture. As participants move through this field, their bodies alter the behavior of the system, transforming space into an active medium. Interaction is not based on deliberate input but on presence itself. The installation thus shifts from object-based viewing to environmental experience, where space, body, and technology are intertwined. It proposes a dynamic relationship in which the environment is continuously reconfigured through movement, emphasizing process over fixed form.

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Photography Exhibition in Wuhan, China

Link：LANDSCAPE ISSUE

At the end of 2025, I was invited to participate in the photography exhibition Landscape Issue, held at the Wuhan Image Center for one month. The exhibition aimed to explore the expressive dilemmas faced by contemporary Chinese landscape photography during its transitional period. As someone living abroad, I contributed a distinct perspective, offering viewers a viewpoint shaped by distance and displacement.

As a resident of Rotterdam, a city shaped by migration, I continuously experience a state where loneliness and freedom coexist. From this position, I begin to observe the fluidity of identity and belonging.

This work takes the frequent fog in Rotterdam as its point of departure, approaching it as both a symbolic climatic condition and a visual mechanism. Under the influence of fog, the city’s normally legible spatial order is destabilized: streets, buildings, and light sources enter an ambiguous state between appearance and disappearance. Through moving images, I document this visual uncertainty, attempting to translate the migrant experience—of being visible/invisible, included/excluded—into a perceptible spatial condition.

In this process, the city is no longer treated as a fixed backdrop, but as an event continuously rewritten by climate and time. The work considers how individuals reposition themselves within this unstable perceptual environment, forming new experiential relations between disorientation and immersion.

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About the continue of the homeless research project

Following Steve’s suggestion, I went to Pauluskerk, located just south of Rotterdam Centraal Station. The space functions as a support centre for people experiencing homelessness, offering food, clothing, social interaction, and guidance on accessing work.

Over time, I returned there repeatedly, gradually situating myself within this environment. At one point, I also had a meal distributed by volunteers, which became a moment of informal exchange and conversation. I spoke with people from a wide range of backgrounds—American, British, Bulgarian, Romanian, Latvian, Italian, Polish—whose trajectories had converged in this space.

Through these encounters, a recurring narrative emerged: a sense of systemic failure. Many articulated that their basic rights were not being adequately protected, and that they were subject to forms of unequal treatment. What complicates this further is that most of them are EU citizens, actively seeking employment, having come to the Netherlands with the expectation of earning a wage sufficient to sustain their families.

Rather than isolated personal misfortune, these stories point toward broader structural conditions—raising questions about mobility, labour, and the limits of social support systems within the EU context.

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About my workshop plan

在我的设想中工作室的计划可以通过红外信号传输让大家了解和体验现代信号编码传输的原理，包括asc II这种或者摩尔斯电码规则，sos求救信号这些，或者观众也可以自己创建自己的加密密码本（自己的编码规则进行信号传输）

延续 IR signal prototype中的思路，但重点可以聚焦在如何使用红外信号在抗议和游行活动中进行应急通信，尤其是在政府强制关闭或战乱下的信号和网路中断中进行短距离通信，多人在持有设备的情况下可以进行接续性的信息传输（多节点接力）。同时我还有另外一个想法即可以通过这个workshop带大家进行红外信号发送和接收的原型实践，参与者可以选择自己想要的信号发射和接收类型

同时在过程中还可以体验信号的多节点传递，观察在这一过程中信息是否损耗或衰减，以及可以人为设置一些信号干扰源进行挑战等。

发射信息类型list：键盘（字母、通过红外传输协议编码）单个按键长短（最原始的红外信号，不编码）以及上面提到的那些

接收信息类型也可以选择编码不编码，自由贸易编码规则或者官方规则，或许也可以试着传输图形，或者马赛克画这种像素点位信息等等。。。。也可以选择接收信息是选择屏幕还是声音，什么样的屏幕等等这些

📡 Workshop 项目策划案

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一、项目概述（Project Overview）

本工作坊以红外通信为媒介，带领参与者从最基础的“信号”出发，逐步理解现代通信系统的构成逻辑，并在实践中构建一个去中心化的短距离通信网络。项目将编码、传输与感知三个层面结合，通过 Arduino 红外模块实现信息的发送与接收，并进一步扩展为多节点之间的接力式传播。

在内容设计上，工作坊将引入多种编码体系，包括 ASCII、莫尔斯电码 以及二进制编码，同时结合现实中的红外通信协议（如 NEC、RC5 等），让参与者理解从“抽象符号”到“物理信号”的转译过程。在此基础上，项目将模拟网络中断、通信受限（如抗议或战乱环境）等情境，探索一种低技术、去中心化的应急通信方式。

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二、核心问题（Research Questions）

• 本项目围绕通信的基础结构与其社会意义展开。它首先关注信息如何从“意义”被编码为“信号”，以及这一过程中所经历的抽象与简化。同时，工作坊将引导参与者思考，当互联网与移动通信网络失效时，人们如何依赖更基础的技术重新建立联系。在实践过程中，参与者将亲身体验噪声、干扰与误码如何影响信息传播，并观察多节点传递中信息如何逐渐发生变化。 进一步地，本项目也提出关于权力与技术的问题：编码规则是谁制定的？通信协议是否可以被重写？去中心化的通信网络是否真正可行，其限制又在哪里？这些问题将通过实践与讨论逐步展开。

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三、Workshop 目标（Objectives）

本工作坊在技术、认知与创作三个层面展开。在技术层面，参与者将理解基于时间与开关逻辑的信号传输方式，掌握基础编码方法（如 ASCII、莫尔斯电码与二进制），并了解现实红外通信协议的基本结构。在认知层面，参与者将建立对通信系统“编码—传输—解码”这一基本流程的整体理解，并在实验中体验信息如何在噪声与干扰中发生偏移。

在创作层面，参与者将被鼓励设计属于自己的编码系统（“密码本”），并通过多节点连接构建一个临时的通信网络，从而在实践中思考通信与控制、基础设施与权力之间的关系。

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四、参与者结构（Participants）

• 工作坊面向不同背景的参与者开放，包括艺术、设计、工程与社会科学等领域。参与者将以2至3人为一组展开协作，每组可以根据自身兴趣自由选择通信方式、编码规则以及输入输出设备的组合，从而形成具有差异性的通信系统。 ----

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五、设备与材料（Tools & Materials）

• 本工作坊不预设单一技术路径，而是由组织者提供多种输入、传输与输出设备，构成一个开放的技术环境。参与者可以自由组合这些模块，构建各自的通信系统。 在输入端，参与者可以使用按钮或键盘进行基础输入，也可以选择使用传感器（如光敏、距离或声音传感器）将环境变化转化为信号。信息通过红外发射器发送，并由红外接收模块（如 VS1838 或 TSOP 系列）进行接收。 在输出端，信息可以被转译为多种感知形式，例如通过 LED 或 OLED 屏幕呈现为文本或图形，通过数码管显示为数字，通过 LED 点阵重建为像素图像，也可以通过蜂鸣器或扬声器转化为声音信号。在某些扩展情况下，信息还可以通过灯光或震动等方式被感知。通过这种多样化的输出方式，参与者将意识到通信不仅关乎信息本身，也关乎信息如何被感知与理解。

Workshop Structure (3–4 hours)

The Emergence of Signals (30 min)

The workshop begins with the most fundamental concept of communication: the signal. Participants will be introduced to how information can be expressed through physical media, as well as the distinction between analog and digital signals. In this phase, the basic principles of infrared communication are explained, focusing on how simple on/off states can form the smallest units of information. Through a hands-on exercise—such as transmitting messages via LED blinking—participants will attempt to communicate without any predefined encoding system, allowing them to directly experience the relationship between signal and meaning.

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Encoding Systems (45 min)

Building on this foundation, the workshop introduces encoding systems that structure raw signals into interpretable information. Participants will explore Morse code as a time-based encoding method, as well as ASCII as a symbolic encoding system. Through practical exercises, participants will use buttons to transmit simple Morse messages (such as SOS), and keyboards to encode and send textual information via infrared signals. This stage highlights how encoding enables communication to move from abstract signals to shared meaning.

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Custom Encoding (45 min)

After learning standard encoding systems, participants will be invited to design their own communication rules. This phase emphasizes the openness and subjectivity of encoding: participants may develop systems based on rhythm and timing, binary logic, or visual structures such as pixel patterns. Each group will produce its own “codebook,” defining how information is encoded and decoded within their system. Beyond technical experimentation, this process foregrounds the idea that encoding is not fixed, but constructed—and therefore open to reinterpretation.

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Multi-node Communication Network (60 min)

In this stage, all participants are organized into a chain-based communication network, where messages are transmitted across multiple nodes (e.g., A → B → C → D). Direct long-distance communication is not allowed; instead, information must pass through each intermediary node. Participants can choose to either forward signals directly or decode and re-encode them before passing them on. Through this process, participants will observe how information transforms during transmission—whether it becomes distorted, simplified, or delayed—and gain insight into the structural dynamics of distributed communication networks.

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Noise and Interference (30 min)

Once the network is established, instability is introduced to simulate real-world communication conditions. This includes environmental light interference (such as phone flashlights or ambient light), physical obstructions (bodies or objects), and intentional encoding errors. Participants are challenged to continue transmitting information under these disrupted conditions, experiencing firsthand the fragility and unpredictability of communication systems in the presence of noise.

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Scenario Simulation (30 min)

In the final stage, the workshop shifts into a scenario-based exercise, such as simulating a “network blackout” or a “protest environment.” Within this context, participants must develop communication strategies, organize their network structure, and successfully transmit a critical piece of information under constrained conditions. This stage transforms the technical exercises into a situated practice, where communication becomes not only a technical process but also a matter of coordination, strategy, and collective decision-making.

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七、输入 / 输出设计（关键亮点）

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在本工作坊中，信息的设计被视为一个开放系统。发送端可以采用基于时间的编码方式，例如按键长短或节奏组合，也可以采用符号编码（如 ASCII 或莫尔斯电码），或通过二进制结构进行表达。此外，参与者还可以尝试使用现实红外协议（如 NEC 或 RC5），或设计完全自定义的编码规则。

在接收端，信息可以被转译为文本、数字、图像或声音等多种形式。例如，文本可以通过屏幕显示，数字可以通过数码管呈现，图像可以通过 LED 点阵逐步重建，而声音则可以通过蜂鸣器或扬声器表达。特别是在图像传输实验中，参与者可以将图像转化为像素数据并逐点发送，从而体验信息在不同媒介之间的转换过程。

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八、实验观察维度（Documentation）

在实验过程中，参与者将对通信过程进行观察与记录，包括信息的传输时间、误码情况以及信号丢失现象。尤其在多节点传递中，参与者将关注传播延迟（由人为操作与解码过程产生）以及信息在多次转译中的变化与衰减。此外，参与者也将记录自身的主观体验，例如理解过程中的困难、误读的产生以及沟通失败的情境，从而将技术实验转化为一种经验性的认知过程。

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九、最终输出（Outcomes）

工作坊的最终成果包括每组构建的通信系统原型、一套自定义编码规则以及一次完整的网络实验记录。这些成果可以以演示、装置或文档的形式呈现，使通信过程本身成为一种可被观看与体验的对象。

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十、项目价值（Why this matters）

本项目不仅是一次关于技术的实践，更是一种对通信基础设施的重新思考。在高度依赖互联网与中心化网络的当代社会中，它尝试将通信还原为最基本的物理过程，并探索在极端条件下的替代方案。同时，项目也通过编码系统的重构与网络结构的再设计，引导参与者反思技术背后的权力关系与控制机制。

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