TARSYS was my thesis project for my Communication Design BFA that got recognized as exemplary work even though it was all more or less software engineering 😭

The root of TARSYS came from my own disdain with information and the internet. I fundamentally believe that every human has the right to access and distribute information. However, the highly centralized systems and networks of today strip us dearly of that right, and I loathe it.

So, TARSYS was meant to be an alternative to that cycle, a decentralized means for people to share textual information through the medium of NFC cards, without requiring an internet connection any where in the process.

TARSYS is a system that comprises two parts: SHEATH and TARCELs. TARCELs are the hardware component and combines TAR (coming from .tar tape archive files) and parcel. TARCELs store textual information written to them and can be read by NFC-enabled devices such as mobile phones or other computers with SHEATH. SHEATH is the software component of the project and takes its name from the myelin sheath in neurons, and an essential part of how they communicate. SHEATH allows for the reading and writing of TARCELs on a desktop computer.

The vision behind TARSYS was that individuals would be able to take and write suppressed literature, information, or journalism onto a TARCEL, and then distribute the TARCEL in their local community so that others may access and consume the information.

More information about the project is on the documentation site, which can be found here

C:/test