This Article is From Apr 17, 2014

When your heart 'crashes,' who do you report the error to?

When your heart 'crashes,' who do you report the error to?
How many times do you remember responding to that "report error" message that pops up on your computer every time it goes for a toss? The answer could be either too many times, or none at all. It's no rocket science that computers come equipped with crash reporters so the underlying problem can be diagnosed and fixed. But what if it was the heart that underwent a crash, losing everything significant like you lose your computer data? Who do we report these errors to?

Inspired by this trail of thought, Brooklyn-based graphic designer Victoria Siemer turned emotional confrontations into computer error messages in a photo series called 'Human Error.'

Blurring the line between technology and reality, the series consists of modified computer error messages placed over scanned Polaroid photos. The nostalgic polaroids depict the broken heart as a computerized error that may or may not be restored in a few mouse clicks. The error message prompts the viewer for an action - such as "save changes to heart before closing", or "move on" from a failed relationship or "erase all feelings" permanently.

The series was inspired by an unexpected Photoshop crash that Victoria suffered while working on a really complex design. The error message "Photoshop has crashed unexpectedly" popped up. Crushed, she ended up taking a screenshot of the error message, manipulated it, and the series was born.

As Victoria puts it, "it's a form of visual-emotional synesthesia," where each error displayed is typically what she has gone through at that precise moment when she created it.

Check out her 'Human Error' series below:

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