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Signals of you

In Signalen van jou (Signals of you), Christy Westhovens reveals what is normally invisible: the signals sent out by our devices. 

The installation is placed inside the glass Tschumi Pavilion and consists of red panels that move when they detect Bluetooth signals from nearby devices. Not just from your smartphone, but also from things like earbuds, smartwatches, or electric bikes. The 79 panels represent the 79 Bluetooth channels used in the radio spectrum—so the busier the area, the more panels start to spin. This makes the flow of digital communication in the space clearly visible. Westhovens uses a radio scanner to detect how many signals are present. Each signal activates an electromagnet that makes a panel turn. The installation shows that our surroundings are made not only of streets and buildings, but also of invisible networks that shape how we move, choose, and live. Through this work, visitors become aware of this “digital layer” and can experience how their own devices help shape the space. Technology is no longer something running quietly in the background—it becomes something you’re fully part of.

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