By Neda Ulaby
When conceptual artist Ekene Ijeoma decided to deconstruct a monument, he picked a song, not a statue.
Like a bronze general in a park, "The Star-Spangled Banner" written in 1814, is intended to evoke a sense of national identity and pride. But Ijeoma, an artist who uses data to explore social justice in his work, created an algorithm that erases a certain percentage of notes as the song is being performed. He wanted the revamped anthem to reflect current rates of mass incarceration.