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It is an interactive installation consisting of a video, printed materials, tree branches, pine cones, mirrors, hanging textiles with graphics, and a table cloth on a table. The installation is centered around the video 'Look, a ToSsphere'. A yellow ribbon extending from the video frames the space tieing together the branches, mirrors, and the printed policy documents as in the video. 4 small textiles hanging supports this physical framing of space, reflecting on the insights derived from making the mapping as shown in the video, asking if Terms of Service cared about land, water, air, and labor. On the side, a textile print of Open AI's privacy policy hangs from the ceiling serving as a backdrop for the table that is covered by a table cloth with OpenAi's Terms of Service inviting the audience to trace care.

Part of Southern Sweden Design Days, May 23-26, Malmö, Sweden.

Once upon a time, it was a thing to choose with care what one would own. It used to be an investment of one’s time and money. In time, things and how we relate to them have changed with the introduction of smart phones and apps. Now, we have ongoing relations with these things that often start with a simple lie: ‘I have read and agree on the Terms of Service’. In our defense, Terms of Service (ToS) is not a good read; too long, complex, and boring. It is not that we don’t care but we just can’t. It is more like it is ToS that doesn’t care if we read it or not! 

This installation looks at ToS and reads it like a map in an attempt to trace care asking ‘Who does the ToS care about and for?’. The installation showcases a video of a spatial mapping exploration done in an urban forest in Umeå. Taking a femtech application’s Terms of Service ecosystem, ToSsphere, as a site for inquiry, the installation looks at who is present, who is absent, who is cared for and who is not. These questions and revelations printed on ToS documents form the backdrop of the video. Shot in juxtaposition to nature, the video highlights how natural resources essential in sustaining digital things, are absent in ToSspheres. As we move fast towards an every day we can’t imagine without generative AI despite its impact on the planet, the installation welcomes a pause to think with care our digital footprint. 

The installation carried out as an artistic research practice in design at Umeå Institute of Design and DCODE Network, opens pathways for design to engage with democratic data governance for designing new eco-social contacts that care for our more-than-human planet.