Humans Not Invited is a reversed CAPTCHA that filters out humans and only allows programs to pass. Inverting the original use of the CAPTCHA – to deny bots access to websites – here, Damjanski creates a test that comprises blurred images that are impossible for humans to decipher, but that programmes are able to respond to correctly. Even after thousands of attempts, not a single human has been able to pass the CAPTCHA. The artwork reflects on black-box technologies, automated systems and synthetic participation, and confronts the viewer with the question: “What happens when we no longer understand how technologies make decisions?”
Damjanski is an app sculptor. His augmented reality applications reimagine and democratize the sites where art can be encountered, by altering museum spaces and allowing the app’s users to engage in a participatory experience. His work often dabbles in technological dystopia, imagining scenarios and futures where humans become irrelevant.