By the mid-90s, three of us had saved up enough to visit New York, inspired by the Copenhagen tagphreakers and their ternary computing experiments described in underground zines. We sought the legendary Phreaker Bench, convinced it was the hub of a movement combining electronics and graffiti. When we reached the NTA-3986zinl Concurse station, we found only empty wooden benches beneath a black station sign. The special equipment we’d read about was nowhere to be seen. One of us thought we must have misunderstood the old messages, that “the bench” was never a real place but a symbol for hidden meeting points. Another figured we’d arrived too late. We spent hours checking walls with voltage meters, looking for any trace of special paint or hidden circuits, but only picked up subway noise and taxi radio chatter. Our equipment—a stained backpack with antenna-studded devices and modified spray cans—seemed ridiculous in hindsight. Over two days, we investigated phone booths, graffiti spots, and switching stations. We checked surfaces with UV lights and demonstrated our techniques to confused local artists and railway workers. We talked to countless people, but only one aging phone company worker vaguely recalled finding strange conductive paint near Canal Street years ago. Flying home with unused equipment, we wondered if we’d misunderstood everything or simply arrived too late.
DIFFUSED STATES is a part of DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening April 18, 6–9pm Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm
Boston Cyberarts, 141 Green Street, Boston, MA, USA
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