Digital CSS Static
Digital CSS Static
In 1996, the Content Scramble System was developed to protect Digital Video Discs – an assumed easy-to-copy media – from being compromised. This system, known as encryption, is software developed for commercial DVDs which prevented direct copies from being made. It was compromised in 1999.
Since this time, there has been an ongoing battle between the commercial producers of copyrighted materials and those who crack the encryptions. This battle has ranged between the software – also known as WAREZ – and the court room where litigation has been fought. By 2009, a vast amount of money will be invested in stopping piracy of intellectual property. There have been multiple new algorithms used to stop piracy.
However, at this point in time DVD copying software can be divided into two camps: first, those developed by commercially based software groups which refuse to copy commercial DVDs, and software pirates who are able to crack brand-new DVDs in the course of a week's time. In this video installation, we will see the rare glimpse into the images produced when these two groups work together, albeit unwittingly.
In my project, I have present this code, which was developed to never be seen, in the visual form of the 2003 Disney film The Pirates of the Caribbean. I have chosen this film because of its history in the pirating community as well its theme. An infinite audio loop of Jonathan Price's quote “pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy” complements the visual static on screen.
Installation View 2009