Honeypumper: Moment of Absence collects moments of perceived absence. Participants approach a monitor and pump resting on the floor. They recognize themselves on the screen, and naturally grab the handle. As pressure builds, their representation begins to fade, leaving only an image of a disembodied space. At that instant, their image is captured and the moment is stored, forever...at http://www.honeypumper.org

Referencing Joseph Beuys' seminal Honeypump in the Workplace, this work associates his concept of "social sculpture" with the dialogic possibilities embodied in the development of global communication. It expresses a sense of ambiguity about our relationships to each other and to technology. Beuys considered the honey that flowed through his work a symbol of the creative energy released by the social interactions of a participatory society.

The data that flows through the bitsphere can be considered in a similar manner; a potential fulfillment of his idealized vision. Of course, as Mies said, "god lives in the details." As we construct our digitally mediated world, the implementation often seems to discount the democratic possibilities. Ironically, as we rush to embrace the "new", the individual is often forgotten; surveilled, cataloged, marketed and processed, often with little awareness.