QR

 

Twelve QR codes drawn in oil pastel. Quick Response code is a type of matrix barcode invented in 1994 by the Japanese automotive company Desno Wave, as a way of tracking automotive parts in their factories. In lockdown Melbourne, QR codes have become a foolishly ‘foolproof’ way of tracing private people in public places. Everywhere the grid maze of Melbourne meets us at the door in micro-form. Wikipedia breaches the historians’ unwritten rule about the past tense. These sentences were added to the ‘QR Code’ entry in January of this year: “In several Australian states patrons are required to scan QR codes at shops, clubs, supermarkets and other service and retail establishments on entry to assist contact tracing. Singapore, the United Kingdom and New Zealand used similar systems”