Sensing Presence

if the internet was a building, the elevator would be the browser

Year
Type
Tools

2026
Thesis
HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Physical Computing

Sensing Presence is a walk-in installation that transforms invisible internet data into physical sensation, letting participants feel the hidden density of online traffic and surveillance through an elevator.

The Question

We share digital spaces with millions of people every day, yet the internet offers no sense of that crowd. There is no warmth, no noise, no awareness that others are here alongside you. Sensing Presence asks the question what would the internet feel like if it were physical?

Storyboard

The Build

The main hardware included a Raspberry Pi 5 connected to the elevator buttons, projector and speaker with the python and javascript based software running on it.

The structure was built using a mix of PVC pipes, corrugated plastic and stainless steel contact paper.

The Experience

Participants enter a walk-in booth designed to resemble an elevator. Each floor corresponds to a real website. Selecting a floor triggers a live reading of that site’s tracker count and traffic volume, translated into light and sound. The data is felt before it is seen.

[data-wf-bgvideo-fallback-img] { display: none; } @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { [data-wf-bgvideo-fallback-img] { position: absolute; z-index: -100; display: inline-block; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; } }

The Exhibit