So I've been kind of overwhelmingly busy lately, but I took a break last week to go see the exceedingly clever Erik Sandelin and Magnus Torstensson talk about their Digital Peacock project at ITP. In their words, they critically use "issues of naivete and trust" to explore surveillance and increased dependence on technology.
Some key phrases:
"de-search and re-velopment"
"de-cycling"
"sartorial submission"
"dressed for dependence"
I especially liked their Power Pilgrims project, in which the creators wander around dressed only in robes held together with electromagnets, begging power from anyone with a wall outlet.
Using the umbilical power cord the pilgrim recharges the battery from a normal wall socket. Without power the electro-magnets cease to function and the robe fall to the ground in pieces, leaving the pilgrim naked, ashamed and repentant.
I'm also a big fan of the social experiments their students have done:
One student wrote all their personal numeric data (credit card numbers, etc) on a sweatshirt, then tried to get through a normal day by reading the numbers of the sweater -- or having strangers do it for her.
Two other studentsmade a custom apron with mobile-phone-sized pockets.She then stood in the lobby of a bank with a no-phones policy and offered to babysit entering customers' phones by putting them in her apron until they concluded their business. She also offered to answer the phones for them, and take a message if required. Amazingly, quite a few people took her up on the offer.
They aim to operate with "fresh eyes and dirty hands." Yes.
