39C3 – Creature ChroniCles Update

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0200

TL;DR

What has changed, in short: In response to the very clear reactions to the exception, the project “Creature ChroniCles” will now be governed by the photo policy in its familiar form. Before every photo, everyone involved will be asked for their consent.

Creature ChroniCles reloaded

In the pre-Congress stress, some things and details unfortunately get lost that seem natural for the people involved, while for others they are far from clear and unambiguous. That did happen to us with the blog article on the “Creature ChroniCles” project. We were too much trapped in our inside view. Most of us know Stella well, and from that perspective we did not see a problem with her project. Sadly, though, we forgot about the view of others who do not know Stella so well.

Therefore, we would first like to thank you for your feedback. It enabled us to learn about the perspectives and problems that can arise in the course of the project – including those that we had not thought of at all.

The last days, full of discussions about the photo policy, have made clear to us how much this policy is appreciated. The photo policy creates a safe space that makes it possible to move anonymously, without chilling effects, and also try oneself out in new ways, in a world that is more and more under surveillance. This diversity, for which there are many more reasons, is what we want to preserve.

The initial wording that said the project was in accordance with the photo policy was incorrect. We regret that. It was, of course, an exception to the photo policy, but one that we thought to be compatible. With this exception we wanted to enable creative freedom to a degree that seemed justifiable. The reactions have shown us that we massively underestimated your discomfort with this, and that we did not sufficiently consider the potentials for abuse. These risks can not be outweighed by the positive effects of pictures being taken preemptively.

The thinking behind asking for retrospective agreement was to avoid a loss of spontaneity and to preserve the originality of a picture. It did become clear, though, that the negative effects weigh stronger and also that the goal can be achieved in other ways. The original concern was that a fleeting moment, for example during the buildup, would be impossible to recreate.

Therefore, and this is probably the most important message to convey, Stella will do without this exception. As you are accustomed to, she will ask all people in a picture if they agree before proceeding. Only under this condition will the picture be taken. After all persons have been drawn over, the first photo will be deleted. No original photo will ever leave Stella’s device. There will be no storing in the cloud or similar. At the end, only the altered pictures will remain. These will be accessible for everyone in an official online picture gallery.

As a rule, skin, hair, clothing, laptops and conspicuous “accessories” will be drawn over. If there are certain aspects that need to be taken care of to ensure your wellbeing, Stella will be happy if you let her know. With regard to assistive devices that might contribute to identification, there will be a clear conversation with the concerned person before any changes or retouching because we are aware that this is a sensitive issue for many that we want to treat with the appropriate respect. In this way we want to maintain the balance between diversity of the participants and anonymity.

If you have never heard of Stella before: She created the designs for the 33C3, 35C3 and the 2023 Camp, and you can find her on Mastodon if you have any further questions: @VeithYaeger@aipi.social. During the project she will be discernible by a pink, fluffy vest.

Perhaps this discussion and this 2.0 announcement can give participants the authority and backing to intervene in a confident but friendly way if they observe that a photo is being taken, and to draw attention to the photo policy. In that case, the whole debate will even have had a positive effect.

Having said all this, we would like to point out that photos are taken at Congress despite the rules, and that not everyone adheres to these rules. Given the number of participants, sadly there is no effective way of preventing that. It is precisely for that reason that we wanted to communicate the exception transparently in order to do better. Unfortunately, we did not manage that very well. Therefore, we would like to use this occasion to ask all participants to respect the photo policy.

Since there also were a few hurtful comments in the discussion, we would like to encourage everyone to communicate in an honest, factual, but also considerate way at any time in the future. We hope that now after this stimulating exchange we have managed to find a good solution for everyone. Because there is so much work on our hands, it can sometimes take a few hours or even days until we react, but be assured: We take your feedback seriously.

Image CC BY-SA 4.0 stella

Creature ChroniCles – Artistic documentation of the 39C3

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0200

Update

There is an update to this post available.

Original

This year at 39C3, there will be photos of the Congress with hand-drawn figures. All persons will be digitally overdrawn and thus anonymized. This is an exception to the photo policy. “Creature ChroniCles” is an artistic pictorial documentation of Congress events. Graphic designer Stella (known for her Congress designs for 33C3 and 35C3 and for Camp23) will take photos of interesting scenes and nice interactions/installations throughout the entire duration of 39C3 and then anonymize all persons represented in the photos by painting digitally over all human features. You can see what this looks like in the header image. We ask you to place your trust in Stella, as we do to make this project possible.

Why this project?

The Congress is a special place: 14,000 people come together, share ideas, build crazy installations, and create unforgettable moments. At the same time, it is a safe space where we want to feel unobserved and private – despite the crowds. “Creature ChroniCles” works with this tension: Through graphic anonymization the atmosphere, energy, and the special situations at Congress remain visible, while the identity of all participants is protected. The colourful cartoon characters transform documentary snapshots into an artistic chronicle that allows both memory and privacy. The project also invites reflection: What makes us identifiable? What remains of a moment when we anonymize it? And how can we tell stories without showing the people behind them?

How does it work?

After a photo is spontaneously taken, the consent of the people shown is obtained and the anonymization process is explained. Authorization takes place after the photo has been taken, because experience has shown that the authenticity of the moment is lost if the people know in advance that they are being photographed. Once approval has been given, the “creaturization” is done by hand on a drawing tablet. This ensures that the anonymity of the people in the photo is preserved. Instead of the people, colourful cartoon figures will then bring the images to life. Care will also be taken of laptops, clothing, or other details that might remove the anonymity. If the people who provide the poses for the later Creatures do not agree to be part of the project, the original photo will of course be deleted immediately.

Photo Policy and Transparency

The project is a pre-arranged exception to the photo policy. Still no secret photos are taken – every person photographed is approached immediately and informed about the project. Communication is transparent and takes place on an equal footing. If anyone refuses, the photo will be deleted immediately without discussion. Stella is aware of her responsibility towards the participants and takes the protection of privacy seriously. The project depends on mutual trust and respect – just like Congress itself. Where possible, people will be asked in advanced before any pictures are taken.

After Congress

All finished images will be made available to Congress participants in a gallery immediately after completion. The original photos will be deleted after the drawings have been anonymized – these photos will not be stored.

Want to participate?

If you would like your assemblies to be documented in this way, or if you have discovered great places that should be captured in a picture, or if you have any other questions or requests, please contact Stella at DECT no. 7161. You can show the “Creature ChroniCles” to relatives and friends later or reminisce with them if the Congress blues strike you next January :).

FAQ about “Creature ChroniCles”

A constantly updated FAQ about Creature ChroniCles can be found in the hubs wiki.

Edit note

In the first version of this post, Creature ChroniCles was described as being in accordance with the photo policy. This was corrected in two steps on the evening of the 20th and at noon on the 21st, and is now explicitly described as a defined exception to the photo policy.