I am Ariel Cotton.  I'm an artist, product designer, & maker of interactive things.

I craft beautiful, human-centered interfaces for web and mobile applications. I draw and write comics about life in Berlin and New York City. I even tinker with electronics and make interactive art from time to time.


Software Dystopia

Date fall 2013
Dimensions 8′ x 10′
Media acrylic on wall


Ariel Cotton Painting Software Dystopia Kite & Rocket Mural

I was commissioned by the engineering and design firm Kite & Rocket to paint a mural for their lab. I chose to depict a dystopia in which software had taken over every aspect of people’s lives. I was feeling disillusioned with the rise of software’s popularity, and wished that it wouldn’t take so much precedence over physical objects. I explicitly used blue hues both to convey a sense of melancholy and because LCD backlights cast a bluish white light on nearby objects. The subject matter was particularly appropriate for Kite & Rocket, since they deliberately avoid following the trend of using software as a solution for everything.

Ariel Cotton Painting Software Dystopia Kite & Rocket Mural Ariel Cotton Painting Software Dystopia Kite & Rocket Mural

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