Crawlers is a kinematic, interactive work with feedback loops on multiple levels. Its motion system is a mix of algorithmic and nature-inspired distributed models, inviting viewers to become curious about the underlying mechanisms. The look is similarly balanced: the point, square, and circle combine rigid technical expression with dynamic, lifelike movement.

The page interaction is an attempt to blur the boundaries between the artwork and the viewer, while also reflecting on the timely topics of web crawlers, bots, and data collection. The page generation introduces a simple generative system, a boiled-down LLM predictor, offering a chance to feel what machine learning is at its core. In the AI agent era, we often find ourselves personifying probabilistic algorithms. The work encourages reflection on this and deeper thought about what is alive, what is not, and what we are. How are we different from the machine?

Each artwork takes the form of a unique digital creature inspired by the anatomy and movement of spiders, centipedes, and other crawling organisms. These creatures inhabit an interactive website modeled after the familiar structure of Wikipedia, a space traditionally associated with the organization and accumulation of human knowledge. Released from its enclosure, each crawler begins exploring the page, responding to words, images, and hyperlinks as the viewer guides its movement through the browser. Some move slowly and methodically, others race across the screen. Some connect words through intricate webs of relationships, while others scatter paragraphs into fragmented arrangements. Their movements also produce sound, turning the act of gathering information into an improvised musical performance. Each crawler has its own visual and sonic behavior, making the website both an ecosystem and an instrument.

As the creatures explore, the information they encounter becomes material for generating new content, which accumulates beneath the original page. Scrolling reveals further text to be explored, processed, and transformed, creating a potentially endless cycle in which information produces more information. The distinction between reading and writing begins to dissolve. What initially appears to be an encyclopedia gradually becomes an unstable, self-generating archive, where knowledge is no longer simply preserved but continually reorganized and expanded through computational processes.

1. Wake up your crawler

Open your NFT to find your crawler sleeping on its generated webpage. Interact to wake it up and guide its movement.

2. Take your crawler for a walk

Save your crawler as a browser bookmark to explore other websites.

Easy way: Drag the Bookmark button to your browser's bookmarks bar.

Alternative method:

1. Bookmark the current page.
2. Click the Bookmark button to copy the special code.
3. Edit your new bookmark.
4. Replace its URL with the copied code and save.

3. Explore the web together

Visit any website and click your crawler bookmark. Your crawler will appear from offscreen and start interacting with the page!

Note: This is an experimental experience. Loading may take a few moments, and some websites aren't fully compatible yet. Wikipedia is a great place to start!