Jake Levy’s signature foundation-free look doesn’t hide the unpleasant truths of what’s going on behind social media corporations’ own conspiratorial and neocolonialist surfaces, but it can cover up the lifelong scars remaining from viewing violent content.
The Bots recounts interviews we conducted with the workers social media keeps hidden. To tell their stories we’ve borrowed the aesthetics of fake make up tutorials used on social media to bypass censorship.
Now streaming on DIS and installed at Fotomuseum Winterthur for our exhibition Dear Imaginary Audience,
“The Bots (Greek market)” now streaming on DIS
March 10th, 2021
We know everything we post to social media is screened and surveilled, reportable and deletable. There are “community guidelines,” “content restrictions.” Which community? Whose restrictions? It must be some algorithm, right?
The bots are not bots, they are human beings in offices applying rules handed down from outside, perhaps from some other office in California, onto content they must view — your vacation photos, your aunt’s Minions meme, beheadings, your uncle’s pornography, your neighbor’s glorifications of Hitler, your friend trying to make a living selling herbal teas, your local MP’s anti-immigrant diatribe.
We’ve embarked on a new video project along with writer Adrian Chen to talk to the non-bots. The Bots recounts interviews we conducted with the workers social media keeps hidden. To tell their stories we’ve borrowed the aesthetics of fake make up tutorials used on social media to bypass censorship.
E1: The Bots (Greek Market)
Featuring Bobbi Salvör Menuez
Now streaming on DIS and installed at Fotomuseum Winterthur for our exhibition Dear Imaginary Audience,
In conversation with MUDAM’s Emanuela Mazzonis
February 10th, 2021
In conversation with Emanuela Mazzonis, co-curator with Francesco Bonami of the amazing show “Me, Family“, at MUDAM. We talked about a few works dealing with oversharing, vulnerability and the darknet. And cats. Half Cats to be precise.
In convo with 2050+ about “15 Seconds”
December 10th, 2020
Last episode of our “Time Out Of Joint” conversations! We’re discussing with Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Erica Petrillo and Kamil Dalkir of 2050+ about “15 Seconds”, the video they created for the exhibition we curated for the Yerevan Biennial, entirely taking place on the Darknet.
To see the exhibition download the Tor Browser at www.torproject.org and go to -> http://fjroxjgxhmd2ymp2.onion
In convo with Joshua Citarella about “My Political Journey: ~C”
November 25th, 2020
In conversation with Joshua Citarella about “My Political Journey: ~C”, the audio piece he created for “Time Out of Joint”, the exhibition we curated for the Yerevan Biennial entirely taking place on the Darknet.
To see the exhibition download the Tor Browser at www.torproject.org and go to -> http://fjroxjgxhmd2ymp2.onion
“Riccardo Uncut” at Mudam
November 10th, 2020
Excited that our work “Riccardo Uncut” is part of “Me, Family“, at Mudam, Luxembourg, curated by Francesco Bonami. Drawing inspiration from the iconic exhibition “The Family of Man” by Edward Steichen, “Me, Family” addresses issues that relate to the flow of information and data in our globalized society. The project is intended as a portrait of humanity at the beginning of the 21st century.
In convo with Amalia Ulman about “Fun Easy Video”
November 3rd, 2020
Here we are in conversation with Amalia Ulman on “Fun Easy Video”, the piece she created for “Time Out of Joint”, an exhibition we curated for the Yerevan Biennial entirely taking place on the Darknet.
To see the exhibition download the Tor Browser at www.torproject.org and go to -> http://fjroxjgxhmd2ymp2.onion
In convo with Vladan Joler about “New Extractivism”
October 15th, 2020
Conversation with friend and collaborator Vladan Joler on “New Extractivism”, the piece he created for “Time Out of Joint”, the exhibition we curated for the Yerevan Biennial taking place on the darknet.
In convo with David Horvitz about “Nostalgia 500”
October 8th, 2020
Here we are in conversation with long time friend David Horvitz on “Nostalgia 500”, the piece he created for “Time Out of Joint”, the exhibition we curated for the Yerevan Biennial taking place on the Darknet.
We curated a project for the Yerevan Biennial!
October 1st, 2020
Very excited to announce we curated a special project for the Yerevan Biennial!
“Time Out of Joint” is an online exhibition entirely taking place on the Darknet, a remote location at the “periphery” of the Internet, where time operates at a slow pace and pages load unhurriedly.
New works by six artists including Joshua Citarella, Clusterduck, David Horvitz, Vladan Joler, Amalia Ulman and 2050+ will be added once every two weeks, from October 2020 to January 2021, and in peer-to-peer style they are available to be seen, copied, reused… The title for this show was borrowed from a novel by Philip K. Dick.
Trailer credits:
Soundtrack by Aghnie https://soundcloud.com/aghnie
Smuggling Type Design by RHIZOMAT ZARBIS
Concept, Production and Editing by Clusterduck
GIFs by https://www.animatedimages.org
