More Instrument than Data

We call for renewed attention to the “upstream” of data, to the means and challenges of their generation, that is, to the techniques and apparatuses of instrumentation. Our aim is to inspect how reference—what data are “of,” “for” or “about”—gets worked out via tinkering with instruments. More specifically, we call for (i) attending to moments in the development of instrumentation in which the observable has yet to be worked out, in which instruments are the object of practical work, and in which stable referents for data are uncertain; (ii) the inspection of recurrent instances of reproductive breakdown, when that which instruments seemed to clearly show is placed in doubt, and so too any downstream data, and; (iii) the mounting tendency to “bundle” capacities in contemporary instrumentation—not only sensing and presenting but also inscription and circulation—which can help to concretize concepts such as “digital data.” Most centrally we seek to catalyze a fresh angle on matters of contemporary concern at the intersection of data and instrument, such as reference, repurposing, and especially the emergence of novel phenomena—the very stuff of perception and interaction. This essay is programmatic, aiming to revive a conversation on how to inspect the techne, practice, and politics of instruments in parallel with those of data.