Monkey Up – Exhibtion
Olaf Val does great projects. I you happen to be close to Basel these days you definately have to take a look at his solo show!
[plug.in]
St. Alban-Rheinweg 64
CH-4052 Basel
www.iplugin.org
Quick, rough-and-ready fixing of computer hardware problems are known as „Monkey Up“ to hackers. This jargon expression is used for situational, conciously temporary practices of improvisation. As the titel of the exhibition the term is transfered from hacker- hardware to general areas of life. What kind of changes to everyday life does the digital cross-linking bring about, what kind of problems arise in wider societal contexts?
The word „Monkey“ rouses associations, notions, and images, that exhibits such as the digital climbing wall „DIGIGRIPPER“ and the entirely syntetic mouse cage „Spielotop“ in the exhibition provoke. The abstract of digital media is put in contrast to organically grown life. The exhibition „Monkey Up“ works with the effects of this contrast between bodies and pixels. The audience climb an oversized display and hold on to its illuminate Dots. By cresting the DIGIGRIPPER they experience digital states with there own bodies. Every-day oscillation between real and digital surroundings is traded on a sensual level. More often than previously we face the task of transformation from the virtual to the real; in this context we confront the challange to form something concrete from the diffuse and complex. This process propagates a kind of undertow and is coined by acceleration. Coping with the sum of the excessive demands, we live in a permanent provisional improvisation; a „Monkey Up“ life. In many areas we feel very comfortable with the vivid and creative developments of the improvisation and welcome this process as inspiring and facinating. The exhibition „Monkey Up“ sensitises to the shortfalls and nuances through the video work „To My Precision“. Thus moments of longing for backpedalling and room for reflection emerge. From this consciousness a balanced handling of digital media is aspired to in the workshop accompanying the exhibition. Every participator builds a portable computer game. In the process a substantial understanding of media is drafted. Digital media is made accessible and demystified on the fundamental level of hard- and software.
