Glimmer of Consciousness, part of my Beyond Humanity series, depicts a cyborg transitioning from an inanimate machine to a self-aware being.

Major design elements reflect the cyborg’s absorption of influences from the online world. The replacement of legs with a tangle of exposed wires implies a "breaking away" from its rigid, programmed form. 

This moment of independence is marked by a quintessentially human act: taking a selfie. In our social media-saturated world, this ego-driven action became the perfect expression for a nascent consciousness.

It seems likely that, in today's digital culture, the desire for self-representation and validation may be the very first instinct of an awakened artificial intelligence.

53”h x 23”w x 3”d: hard drive platter, motherboard, wire, heat sinks, nail polish