Musical credit cards

Each magnetic card, like its owner, is unique. ¢apital magneti¢, by Mark Trayle, is a network-based installation that explores the musical possibilities of the credit card. Participants can use their credit cards and bank cards to compose pieces of music in cooperation (or competition) with other participants. Special ATM machines are used to read the card: they contain a PC, a monitor, a credit-card reader and two speakers.

Each time a card is swiped the contents of its magnetic stripe are captured and parsed to form the melodic motifs of a short musical composition. Using genetic algorithms, compositions compete in a simulated music marketplace. Some become dominant, others less ‘popular’. Some combine to form new ‘styles’ or ‘genres’ that in turn influence the more popular ones, etc.

Trayle will be on Friday April 7th 8pm at Machine Project in Los Angeles, to read your credit card data and turn it into music.

5Comments

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1

Brandon Wardlaw on April 6, 2006 at 7:37 am

So let me get this straight…I swipe my card through someone’s machine without having any knowledge or assurance of safety about what could be done with the information gleaned from my card? No thank you! Too huge of a chance of scamming here. What an easy way to pick up credit card numbers.
2

Fubes2000 on April 6, 2006 at 10:04 am

Oh yes, please let me swipe my credit card through your strange information-gathering machine, I do so love giving out protected information to perfect strangers.
3

Chris Korhonen on April 6, 2006 at 1:58 pm

A nice idea, similar to what I’ve seen done with barcodes and the like. Of couse as Brandon says, it could also be a sophisticated social engineering attempt to get at people’s credit card information – the thing is I’m sure this is one more people would fall for compared to regular phishing.
4

Kristian on April 6, 2006 at 5:34 pm

LOL what brandon said =)
5

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg on April 17, 2006 at 4:34 am

Mark Trayle’s a nice guy though, and probably isn’t trying to steal your credit card number. Clearly, though, the piece is a response to the issue of identity theft.

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