3NCRYPT1NG SM1L3Y F4C3S is a live-coding performance in which unreadability is explored playfully. In live-coding, a lot of importance is usually given to transparency: the thoughts of the performers are reflected on the code that they write live and project in a screen. But the question is, ¿in which extent is it legible for the audience and how much of what is presented is really understandable? The audience that is not familiarized with programming can infer some aspects of the process, recognizing verbs and actions in the text and associating them to the visuals or the sound, but ¿what happens if these words are transformed, and what remains is a process which is even more encrypted for the audience and even for the performers themselves?
In 3NCRYPT1NG SM1L3Y F4C3S, we use two live-coding environments: Strudel for generating sound and Hydra for generating visuals. The functions and variables of those environments will gradually transform into emojis, which become multiplied in the visuals via the use of feedback. Eventually, the experience will become something completely illegible for the audience and very challenging for the performers. Emojis are a part of internet culture and allow for elucidating misunderstandings and expressing emotions beyond the written words in communication mediated by digital devices. In 3NCRYPT1NG SM1L3Y F4C3S, we subvert the functionality of emoticons, taking them to a state where instead of clarifying they create ambiguity.
