We have been looking at the sky since time immemorial. There we see more than just stars. From Zeus and Odin to the zodiac: in the stars we read the stories that guide our lives.

The Internet is a network of computers that connects millions of people. Those who step out of their bubble can also see patterns in this chaos. What symbols, figures and stories are hidden in it? What does that say about us and the way we move around the internet on a daily basis?

For this project we gazed at the digital starry sky from Charlois. We looked at YouTube, where algorithms guide users through a network of videos; and Twitter, where residents and outsiders discuss the neighborhood. We have elaborated the networks and stories we encountered in two star maps.

The project offers a surprising insight into the neighbourhood. We see Zuidplein as a food paradise and as a much-visited traffic hub, but also as a place where idealists make plans for tomorrow and where others long for days gone by. We see Charlois as a place where residents report litter in the streets, where artists and project developers fight for the future of the neighbourhood, and where the police act as your best friend. We mainly see a cosmos where you always switch between your neighborhood and your world within a few clicks.

During Summer-op-South, Charlois en de Sterren will be on display several times as a pop-up exhibition. You can come and admire the posters and experience the ‘digital starry sky’ in 4 dimensions with VR glasses. There is a mini-documentary in which various influencers from the neighborhood have their say and you can enter into a conversation with the makers and local residents through the Oracle card game by Charlois and the Stars.