2026

Permanence of Decay explores the philosophical and technical implications of "digital entropy" by reimagining the computer as a mortal, biological entity rather than an immortal archive. In response to a culture of frictionless, infinite storage, this graduate thesis utilizes physical computing and recursive compression to force personal data to age and transform like human memory. Through a high-friction tactile interface, the project shifts the user’s role from a passive collector to a weary caretaker, requiring active physical labor to maintain the integrity of files that are designed to eventually fade, haunt neighboring data, and ultimately vanish.