Code beautiful like a clock

Many people find mechanical clocks appealing. No such aesthetic appeal is ascribed to computer programs, although they are mechanical in a similar way: fixed, predefined commands are executed to yield a result.

The ›mechanics‹ of computer programs play out on a time scale that lies outside of human perception. While many programs have reaction times that are perceptible to us, basic commands are completed a billion times faster during this time. This work is intended to bridge these extreme time scales, making it possible to experience the mechanical character of computer programs.

The exhibit is composed of three units: on the left is the program code, with an emphasis on the command that is being executed at a given moment. In the middle, the ›inner life‹ of the processor with its registers, execution unit and memory is displayed in the act of executing a basic command. On the right, the result is visualized.

A control knob changes the processing speed: when it is slowed down, individual steps become discernible, but their visible result is delayed. At a high speed, the result appears quickly, but the processor’s individual steps can no longer be observed.

Kompetenzzentrum für angewandte Sicherheitstechnologie (KASTEL) [Competence Center for Applied Security Technology], Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – KIT
Scientific collaboration: Jeremias Mechler