LO: Voicing those Unheard- My Inspiration.

This past July, media-artist collective Breakfast (based in NY) released a Flip-Disk computational art piece to facilitate their ‘Don’t Go Quiet’ campaign in light of recent events with the murder of George Floyd and the insurgence in Black Lives Matter support.

The piece is composed of flip-discs triggered by the system’s real-time detection of new social media posts uploaded using the #blacklivesmatter hashtag or mentioning BLM, creating ripples (due to flip-disc movement) on an upside-down American flag. Through this piece, Breakfast hopes to highlight a collective, and hopefully, ongoing conversation to bring about an end to racism.

Flip-disc art has been around for quite some time, sometimes presenting itself in more practical forms: clocks, calendars, sign displays, etc. However, implementing a live internet tracking software to represent these current and highly important conversations brings another meaning to this technology. As an audience, we are drawn to artwork we can relate to; Breakfast has created an experience for its viewers to see the impact of each and every person speaking out against racism. I, like many, are inspired to stand alongside Black people today, tomorrow, and each day until we have created a world equitable enough. Let this be a time where we march harder, protest louder, and create with more empathy to see a world more diverse and inclusive than ever. Let your impact be seen.