Eva & Franco Mattes

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The Others (2011)

The Others is a 137-minute video slideshow composed of 10,125 photographs, hacked from the personal computers of 78 random individuals, without their knowledge. These images were accessed by exploiting a simple software glitch that allowed us full remote access to their computers.

 

 

theothers exhib house

Installed at HEK, Basel.

 

While it’s likely that these photographs were never intended for public view, we can’t say for certain. Interestingly, the images aren’t so different from what was beginning to surface on social media at the time—an eclectic mix of the extraordinary and the mundane. They resemble snapshots of life that could belong to any of us.

 

 

the others exhib abrons 2

 

 

 

the others exhib abrons 1

Installed at Abrons Arts Center, New York.

 

It’s not all teenagers at parties, either. The slideshow reveals glimpses of deeply dramatic lives, such as a woman documenting her bruises after being beaten. These images prompt unavoidable questions: What happened to her? Who hurt her? Am I the only one who’s seen these photos?

 

 

the others exhib mata modena

Installed at Mata, Modena.

 

We chose the slideshow format because it recalls the nostalgic, “vernacular” way photographs were shared during childhood—projected in family gatherings. In the museum, the projection is deliberately imperfect: poorly positioned, awkwardly rotated, with skewed keystoning—“as if my aunt had set it up.”

 

 

theothers exhib random institute

Installed in a sauna, at Random Institute, Zurich.

 

 

the others exhib huesca

Installed at Diputación Provincial de Huesca, Spain.

 

This project deliberately navigates legal and ethical gray zones, probing the boundaries between public and private space, and questioning how “personal” images are distributed and perceived in today’s world.

 

 

theothers exhib arnolfini

Installed at Arnolfini, Bristol.

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, The Others

Installed at The New School, New York.

 

 

theothers exhib carrollfletcher

Installed at Carroll/Fletcher, London.

 

 

Eva & Franco Mattes, The Others

Installed at Taxispalais Kunsthalle Tirol, Innsbruck.

 

 

the others quote camilla brendon