‘At first we thought it was the weather.’ Years later, we were still unsure precisely for whom we were trading. It started off as trafficking in glitches – small, sparkling shards floating on our wraparound screens – appearing from an app by Voploshcheniye Inc. that downloaded and installed itself on all citizens’ Pods.

We could trade these floating shards, called ‘elements’, with others nearby who were checked in to the city’s blocknet. The app kept a record of all our trades, our preferences, and when they hit a critical mass, that’s when the Patternist-3 planet started to be revealed – translucent, skin-like lands hovering just slightly above us. We’re here – just as much as you are – to try to understand what happened, keeps happening, and to present our research on this appearance and technical aberration as best we can.

This presentation comes from a speculative reality five years from now, told in the experiential world of Patternist, an augmented reality demo game for urban research, alternative economies, and sci-fi visions. Patternist is presented by Jelena Viskovic, Kei Kreutler, Holly Childs, and Alessandro Bertelle.

Photo Pieter Kers