Digital media has a profound effect on the way people express their identity. Differences exist between the way identity is constructed digitally and the way it is expressed physically. The conventions that govern social interactions online differ from those that exist face-to-face. Modal is an interactive installation that seeks to address this tension. It examines the notion of a disembodied identity and attempts to reconnect it with the body. The installation does this by collecting data about the physical presence and digital identity of the user in order to drive two dynamic data visualisations. These representations seek to subvert the traditional modality of the data by giving it characteristics it would not otherwise possess. Digital data is represented in a physical context while physical data is given a digital form. This information will also be used to generate a dynamic sound environment. The abstract translation of the data into other modalities allows users to engage with and re-evaluate their relationship with this information.
