inevitable 2026

pushing bounds, making studies, and becoming nature

My annual reflection is here but too long for email! So read it below

https://spencer.place/posts/inevitable-2026

Here’s a short preview & you’ll find recent updates at the bottom:

What have I learned from this year of existence on this earth? It feels like we’re in a time of extremes. Trump is back; Mamdani is mayor. We’re in an age of unprecedented growth and we’re in a massive bubble on the verge of popping. AI will change the world, and it’s a pyramid scheme. What is real is evolving rapidly. Abandoning language seems like a defensive mechanism. 67 is a universal language that transcends the intellectual superiority of the machine. Simple is better when we are outgunned at every turn. Old becomes real becomes good. Used becomes proof of existence. New things are easier and easier, and our capacity to tend and maintain continues to deteriorate.

spencer chang@spencerc99

here are some of my favorite patina landscapes from the streets of tokyo https://t.co/jvJQsGqExL

spencer chang @spencerc99

im betting on a future aesthetic rooted in proof of longterm existence - a bronze statue worn away where people have touched it, the patina of old plastic doors, the grooves left in wood from consistent use when you can make a new thing for anything you imagine, what has

9:44 AM · Dec 30, 2025 · 1.51K Views

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14 Likes

This year included many personal milestones, I started the year with my first large institutional commission from Hyundai Artlab, where I made a an art piece that lives on your phone and invites you to play with our devices in new, physical ways (later in the year, I would watch 300+ people do it together inside the Internet Archive, thank you ash & tiat!). Then, I finished up my first large-scale installation of Computing Shrines for NEW INC’s DEMO 2025. After, I pitched a weird and social media piece, subverting Instagram to create collective art, for Alserkal Avenue, made a tribute to the alive internet for the Internet Archive, and brought Computing Shrines to Tokyo Geidai. I designed, prototyped, and productionized the Phone Pillow for my Internet Sculptures store. I taught and led 5 workshops in 3 cities, all towards the purpose of helping people shape software. I found a short enough tagline that feels good: “software you can touch.”…

OR CLICK HERE !! https://spencer.place/posts/inevitable-2026

RECENT UPDATES

1. I’m back from 1.5 months in Asia and several weeks in China where I experienced a complete cultural shock (even being ethnically Chinese and passably fluent in Mandarin). It truly felt like a “I know nothing” moment, especially in regard to how things are made, how societies are run, and what the Internet is for. Deeper reflections to come in a future post!

2. Paul Moore did a lovely write-up for Its Nice That on the Internet art scene, highlighting the Internet Phone Book, Daniel Murray, and yours truly among others!

3. As part of my desire to create “studies,” I’ve started my first one of the year in turning my Internet detritus (cursor movements, keystrokes, etc.) into art. Eventually, I want to open this up for anyone to install as a browser extension and create a collective self-portrait of the Internet. Reply if you’d be interested in beta testing!

4. I had an amazing time showing my work in Tokyo and running a new workshop, called Worn Memory, where participants created visible alterations to old clothes and embedded a website to store each wearers’ memories of the clothing for the people its passed down to in the future.

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