Since time immemorial humankind has looked to the night sky. There we find more than just stars. From Zeus to Odin to the belt of the Zodiac: in the stars we read the stories that give direction to our lives.

 The internet is a network of computers that connects billions of people. Who steps out of his or her bubble and gazes from a distance, can find patterns in the chaos. Which symbols, figures and stories are hiding in there? What does it tell us about the way we use the internet?

For this project we stared from Charlois to the digital starry sky. We looked at Youtube, where algorithms guide users through a network of video’s; and at Twitter, where residents and outsiders talk about the ins and outs of the neighborhood. The stories we found are worked out in two star maps and distributed as posters through the neighborhood of Charlois.

Posters, advertising pillars, and a mini-documentary
At the start of the second lockdown in November 2020, we distributed the posters across Charlois and were hung behind windows of houses, apartments, and offices, turning the streets of Charlois into a public exhibition. We highlighted the constellations on the website, Twitter, and Instagram, while asking followers to also hang a poster behind their windows.

In January 2021, the networks were on display on two mega-sized advertising pillars in prominent places in Charlois. We reached out to the most influential Twitter users and YouTubers to mark their stars with a marker and answer a few questions for a mini-documentary on YouTube. In six videos, we talked to a local police officer, an anti-waste activist, a public transport vlogger, a project leader of an open media platform, and a journalist about their relationship with Charlois and social media. The documentary was launched in May 2021 and was on display behind the windows of the New Momentum office.

After releasing the mini-documentary, we translated the project into a VR experience. We will exhibit at various locations in Rotterdam and beyond during 2022. This included a trip to Paris, where we presented this project at the Digital Artifact Expo of the annual congress of the ICA (International Communication Association).

In 2023, when all COVID restrictions were abandoned, Charlois en de Sterren participated in many events in and around Charlois like Zomer op Zuid. A special exhibition took place at Wolk Rottedam with a wall and ceiling painting, resulting in a 3-dimensional experience.

An invitation to look beyond your own bubble
Charlois en de Sterren examines the tension between local communities and polarizing algorithms on social media platforms – precisely at the time when we were locked in our homes and became more dependent on digital communication than ever. The project aimed to make people aware of the filter bubble effect. After all, what one person sees and thinks they know about a place, can be at odds with how others experience it. The project invited people to look beyond their bubbles and become aware of the initiatives outside of their timelines.

Year: 2020-2023
Service: data visualisation / VR-experience / game design / graphic design / artwork
Commission: Charlois Speciaal
Exhibited: Charlois Speciaal, Rotterdam, NL (2021); South Explorer, Rotterdam, NL (2021); Digital Artifact Expo, International Communication Association, Paris, FR (2022); Urban Leisure Tourism Lab, Rotterdam, NL (2022); Wolk, Rotterdam, NL (2023); Zomer op Zuid, Rotterdam, NL (2023); Natuurstad Rotterdam, NL (2023); Rotterdam Architectuur Maand, NL (2023); Cultuurwerkplaats Tarwewijk, Rotterdam, NL (2023); Podium van de Wijk Festival, Rotterdam, NL (2023).
Publications: Dutch Design Daily, 2021 (link);   Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2021 (link);   Podcast Ronnies op Zuid, 2023 (link)   Open Rotterdam, 2023 (link)
Credits: Charlois en de Sterren is a collaboration with Roel Lutkenhaus and made possible by the generous support of Charlois Speciaal, Stichting Droom en Daad, CBK Rotterdam and Cultuur Concreet. Big thanks to Marvelous 3D for their amazing work on the VR-experience.