“To Trust Or Not To Trust” Exhibit at Stanford Green Library
From October 2024 to March 2025, Starling curated a walk-through exhibit in the lobby of Stanford’s main library called “To Trust or Not To Trust.” This extremely topical material served as the backdrop for both a conference and class curriculum at Stanford about Designing For Authenticity. The program’s official description:
The internet is at an inflection point. With the growth of mis/disinformation, artificial intelligence and synthetic media, trust in information faces unprecedented threats. Authenticity is not guaranteed. At the same time, new technologies–referred to as “Web 3”–present opportunities to protect the integrity of data. These solutions can be applied to critical practices including investigative journalism, historical archiving, and the admissibility of legal evidence. This exhibit asks: “How might we design information systems for authenticity?”
The exhibit featured five wall panels and six floor cases, covering concepts and tools from their ancient origins to their future use cases.
The Stanford Daily published an independent review of the exhibit, noting:
“Though the wall display is not the only thing that Starling Labs curated for Hohbach Hall, it certainly steals the show. Although, I will admit, that might be because as someone who grew up around USB sticks, CDs and DVDs, there’s something a little disconcerting about reading about them in a museum case like a historical object. (…)
[T]he display was technical enough that I understood the mechanics behind what Starling Labs and other researchers are trying to achieve, yet also accessible enough that the information was not intimidating. (…)
Despite being inherently technological, the technology-themed exhibit only reinforced the importance of physical spaces to store knowledge, like our very own Green Library and similar libraries.”
Take the Virtual Tour
The Green Library scanned the exhibit and annotated each of the items in the 3D reconstruction. We invite you to take the virtual visit by clicking this link or the image below:
