L.V.A.’s Web, 2024
borosilicate glass
approx. 14”x8”x5”

CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) can be seen as modern-day sigils—digital forms of protection from bad actors (both human and non-human) attempting to seek data. It is reminiscent of Charlotte the spider from Charlotte’s Web, who was able to inter-species communicate via her ability to write English words in her webs. Luis von Ahn (founder of Duolingo) is therefore our modern-day Charlotte. And the transparency of these sigils—the invisible power of CAPTCHAs—are often overlooked.