The topmost image shows an enlarged selection of the artwork, allowing you to recognize a blue dot even on your computer screen. The second image shows the actual artwork while the third image gives you the solution to the assignment. Due to common transfer rates via the internet, the images are in screen resolution (72 dpi) and therefore probably too small to correctly reproduce the effect of the original. This is the reason why large digits are given to point out the position of the pale blue dots.
This work is a very simple visualisation of an information overload, inspired by the famous photograph “Pale Blue Dot”, taken on 14 February 1990 by the Voyager 1 space probe.
The first thing we encounter is a promise: it’s all yours! On impulse most people are tempted to equate quantity with quality. Here this is a big mistake because nowadays the knowledge needed mostly is very likely hidden by a heap of useless information. Whether or not this is intentional doesn’t matter, because the result is the same — confusion.*
On the other hand, the promise made (it’s all yours!) appeals to your ownership claim. You’re asked to find 10 tiny cyan blue points within the cloud of black dots. In addition you can discover a nonsense legal text, but one more sarcastic repetition of the same principle: a lot of useless information is used to distract you from discovering the hard truth. While your head gets messed up, the planet you’re living on has gotten wasted for money.
* Paul Watzlawick is a good reference to learn more about confusion by disinformation; have a look at “How real is real? Confusion, disinformation, communication” for an example.