My History

by John Daniel Walsh

My History, 2003
In the years to come, there will be a blurring between the notion of identity and the notion of database. An example of this is already apparent in certain file-sharing communities online. A common one is the music sharing community, where one's identity may be comprised of a list of songs of other media that they are offering to the rest of the world. In certain file-sharing programs, there may even be an option to chat with the owner of certain files, presumably about a common interest in music, art, etc.

Each person who owns a personal computer builds multiple records of her tastes, interests, character, financial status, etc. in the various documents that are stored on hard disk. There has recently been a wave of junk e-mail concerning the paranoia of outsiders obtaining access to one's "history", that is, the list of websites that one has visited over a given period of time.

I'm particularly interested in this notion of one's personal history being represented by a trail of documents, and how these objects could stand in for the person. The personal computer is a virtual desktop (as the paradigm of today's operating systems will have you believe), but it is also a filing cabinet, a personal library, a radio, a fax machine, and a window that can be looked out of or in from. This complexity allows for great possibilities for portraiture.

For "My History", I've documented two days of my internet activity. One can follow along the (pretty boring) narrative of my travels as I look for shoes, check e-mail, check bank account, and try to solve technical problems in the course of my days. It is a personal narrative filtered through the prism of the internet.


My History