Aram Bartholl – Blog

DEAD DROPS at Palais de Tokyo, Paris

Public OPENING, Monday  9:00pm 2015 June 22nd

How to get your art in the Palais de Tokyo

1. BRING YOUR ART ON A LAPTOP TO THE GRAND OPENING.
2. UPLOAD IT TO ONE OF THE 5 DEAD DROPS IN PALAIS DE TOKYO.
3. TELL EVERYONE YOU HAVE ART IN THE PALAIS DE TOKYO.

PEBKAC IMHO
Haus of electronic Arts – HeK at Liste Art Fair

duration: 16.06.2015 – 21.06.2015
At Liste Art Fair Basel HeK – House of Electronic Arts presents four artistic positions:

Aram Bartholl, Constant Dullaart, Raquel Meyers and Evan Roth under the title PEBKAC IMHO.

“Search the web for ‘iPhone reverse product placement’, and you will find a clip from the first ‘Sex and the City’ movie (2008), in which the character Carrie gets handed an iPhone and shrieks; “I don’t know how to work this’. Shot the year the first Apple smartphone was released, the clip overtly illustrates our current relationship to technology. Carrie was not in the know, did not understand popular technology. Left at the altar, not in control of her life, not able to master new technology. We as the viewer do want to understand how technology works, want control, not be left at the altar, and get an iPhone.

‘Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair’, abbreviated to PEBKAC, is an expression used in tech support culture since the mid nineties. A derogatory term for a human error being the reason for the customer to seek assistance. Abbreviated to hide the pedantic position of tech support, creating an even larger social gap between them and the unwitting human sitting on the chair. By now, PEBKAC not only emphasizes that we are no longer bound to keyboards and chairs, but rather that society until now still struggles to define its relationship with networked technology. We might not always be the human error on the chair anymore, but we still have problems engaging with technology. Commercial interest has tempted many corporations to make technology more user friendly, a process in which technological possibilities are often hurdled to improve usability and profit. Now grandparents email, bandwidth is filled with ads, and nobody knows exactly how algorithms analyze our behavior. Perhaps the problem is sittinag on another chair, programming our technological culture to be the capitalist cultural environment it is today. And we should go back to the recent roots to research our relationship with tech. Go poetic, forensic, anthropologic, spiritual, basic. In any case, it will remain PEBKAC- In My Honest Opinion.” (Constant Dullaart)

Are you human? –  stamp interaction & floor drawing
ink, stamp 24 x 6 cm, chalk drawing, 18 x 4 meter
Aram Bartholl, 2015

at NODE biennial festival – Forum for Digital Arts.
From April 27th – May 3rd 2015, Naxoshalle, Frankfurt.
Exhibition curated by Jeanne Vogt & Alexandra Waligorski

pictures by NODE forum

Thx!! :))

Art In The Age Of…
Planetary Computation

Witte de With, Center for Contemporary Art Rotterdam, Netherlands

22 May – 16 August 2015
Opening: 21 May 2015, 5pm

With: Aram Bartholl, Rossella Biscotti, Nina Canell, John Gerrard,
Femke Herregraven, Antonia Hirsch, David Jablonowski,
Navine G. Khan-Dossos, John Menick, Owen Mundy, Trevor Paglen,
Lucy Raven, Stephan Tillmans, Julia Weist

How would you draw a picture of the Internet; through the machines
and ‘their’ language that broadcast and store ‘our’ messages, or
through the affect and power relations that those messages and
their movement produce?

Art In The Age Of … Planetary Computation investigates
how quantification, telecommunications, and our ever-expanding
information apparati not only inform contemporary artistic
production, but also how contemporary art can hold a mirror up
to these processes and formations. The participating artists explore
the fissure between literal infrastructure—code, machines, wires,
and other like-vocabularies—and the subjective socio-political
interactions fostered by using these devices. Guided not only by
that which can be seen on the computer screen, and the various
other black mirrors we stare into day in and day out, this exhibition
also looks to what happens behind these screens. Moving from
objects to subjects, we ask, how do these positions impact daily life,
or said in another way: what does it mean to be ‘screened’?

Art In The Age Of … Planetary Computation is the second iteration
of Art In The Age Of …, a three-part presentation series running
throughout 2015, that investigates future vectors of art production in
the 21st century.

#NEULAND

March 28 – June 28, 2015
Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren

with:
Aram Bartholl, JODI and Evan Roth

flickr set

In the past two months there has been again a lot of international press about DeadDrops. The DeadDrops project is running since November 2010, for four and a half years now. After the initial press buzz in 2010/11 the project kept spreading online with occasional press like after the Snowden releases etc. But just since the beginning of 2015 there was a lot of press all over again. It is really hard to tell how such a press wave is starting on a project which is already running for such a while but I assume after almost 5 years there is a new generation of Internet users and press people who haven’t heard about DeadDrops yet. Through some big blogs in the US it reached the south american news, spreaded there and also made it back to Europe.  I ve listed a selection of press links at the end of this post. Please also see the nice DeadDrops youtube playlist somebody made.

In Germany the recent reports about DeadDrops had a special twist. End of February the yellow press style news paper Kölner Express had a piece about a bomb making plan PDF which was supposedly found on a DeadDrop in Cologne. The local and national press picked up quickly the story and my phone kept ringing for two weeks. It is astonishing how in 2015 you still have to explain to people that it is of course not a problem to find such a PDF with illegal tutorials on the Internet. Or yes! there could be a virus on the USB drive, like there could be a virus in this blog post. But in an era of constant fear about terror the suspicious USB drive in wall was a perfect story for them. I was only waiting for the ISIS connection. But again this was a good opportunity to explain that there is no use in censoring or prohibiting encryption or anonymous communication technologies because there is illegal activities. Like back in the days the ruling class tried to banish the brand new dangerous technology ‘book printing’ which radicalized all the young people. Especially journalists should be aware how important independent, encrypted, private communication is. In fact DeadDrops is not a very efficient communication technology but a good symbol on independent, open digital communication. So while the NSA has trojans installed on all our hard drives or access to millions of sim card keys we worry about a 20 year old anarchist cook book PDF on a flash drive in a wall in cologne.  What a crazy world! :))

The actual great story about the Cologne DeadDrop is that this specific DeadDrop, which I made myself as part of a duo show with JODI at DAM Cologne in 2011, was still existing and working in 2015!! Until the police ripped it out and broke it to then hand it in at the at the LKA cyber security department to get it fixed. Of course the highlight is how the two police men are kneeling in front of the yellow banana (the gallery “certificate”) trying to understand what’s going on. In fact later the Kriminalpolizei called DAM gallery to have them explain what exactly this USB stick is about and what the DeadDrops project is etc. On the same day I made this popular tweet about the whole story.

Of course I am very happy about all the attention for DeadDrops. It is very interesting to witness how the perspective on such a project has changed over the past five years, especially since 2013. I am glad to see how this project is still going on and how it has inspired so many people over the years. Thanks to all the deaddroppers out there!! You are awesome!!

Aram Bartholl, March 2015

LINKS:

• http://www.express.de/koeln/eingemauert-in-einer-fassade-bomben-bauplan-auf-oeffentlichem-usb-stick-in-der-koelner-suedstadt,2856,29952848.html
• http://www.express.de/koeln/geheime-bomben-bauanleitung-stick-aus-der-suedstadt–ein-fall-fuer-die-cyber-profis-vom-lka-,2856,29972140.html
• http://www.express.de/koeln/in-wand-zementiert-lka-spezialisten-analysieren-bomben-stick-aus-der-suedstadt,2856,29962112.html?regio=2858

Full Interview at Sueddeutsche.de:

• http://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/eingemauerte-usb-sticks-diese-technologie-kann-man-nicht-zuschrauben-1.2373749

Guardian:

• http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/shortcuts/2015/mar/08/dead-drops-what-to-do-if-you-see-a-usb-stick-sticking-out-of-a-wall

More press links:

German:

• http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/region/koeln/Daten-fuer-immer-verloren-article1575822.html
• http://www.ksta.de/koeln/polizeieinsatz-an-der-koelner-volksgartenstrasse-eingemauerter-usb-stick-ist-eine-kunstaktion,15187530,29962316.html
• http://www.rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/koeln/offenbar-bombenbau-anleitung-auf-usb-stick-entdeckt-aid-1.4900331
• http://www.swr3.de/info/nachrichten/Polizei-prueft-Bomben-USB-Stick/-/id=47428/did=3120472/vx8ipn/
• http://www.taz.de/!155350/
• http://motherboard.vice.com/de/read/wie-aus-einer-kunstaktion-ein-toter-briefkasten-fuer-bombenbauer-und-drogenkoeche-wurde-444
• http://www.welt.de/regionales/nrw/article137783878/USB-Stick-mit-Bombenbauplan-in-Wand-ein

POPULAR TWEET

the moment when the #KRIMINALPOLIZEI calls your gallery to get explained your ART! #DEADDROPS http://t.co/eUEHxlCXP2 pic.twitter.com/2FmryheOtw

— Aram Bartholl (@arambartholl) 24. Februar 2015

https://twitter.com/arambartholl/status/570195342253277185

full flickr set -> https://www.flickr.com/photos/bartholl/sets/72157650965201646/

Wow!! What a great opening last night! Thx so much to Babycastles for having me!

Aram Bartholl: Point Of View

at Babycastles (FB), New York City
Feb 20. – April 10, 2015,
Preview Feb 19, 6:00 pm (RSVP)

Workshop on opening night:
Build your own POV head band for your phone!

Statment:

‘Point Of View’ questions the current paradigm shift of perspective. What is the role of the hand held screen framing our everyday life? How has gaming shaped the representation of our digital self?

Over the past 100 years the screen has moved constantly closer to our eyes. Most people today spend significantly more time looking at smart-phone screens than at computer screens or TVs (not to mention the cinema screen Games have been an important driving motor for the development of digital culture in the past four decades. The first person view popularized by early computer games like Doom and Duke Nukem has now entered the  real world with the growing popularity of head-mounted cameras. GoPro and Google Glass users generate a constant stream of pictures with their hands in view like a digital avatar. A whole range of digital glasses are poised to enter the market. The Oculus Rift promises the classic idea of cyberspace an immersive reality, while people in public extend their body with a selfie stick. Is the view leaving our body now? Will the picture frame finally disappear?

Let’s enjoy the last years of looking at each others screens in public transportation or over the shoulder in Let’s Play gaming videos. The point of view is changing.

Aram Bartholl 2015

See also the docu vid by Becky Stern, thx for that!!

See also: How to make a POV headband for your phone

You always wanted to shoot hands free Point Of View video but there is no Google Glass or a GoPro around? Here is how you can make a simple POV headband to shoot video from your forehead with your phone!  “Yes, I am actually filming you!”

1. Materials & tools: Sticky velcro, headband, scissors, needle and thread.

2. Stick the sturdy side of the velcro to your phone.

3. Any headband, winter or sports stlyle should be fine.

4. Stick the soft side of the velcro to the headband. For safety do a few stiches on the four corners.

5. Stick the phone to the headband.

6. Done! Make a lot of them! Shoot POV video together with your friends!

Aram Bartholl: Point Of View at Babycastles (FB), NYC
Feb 20. – April 10, 2015, Preview Feb 19, 6:00 pm (RSVP)
Workshop on opening night: Build your own POV head band for your phone!

Point Of Vision video shooting experiments with Atlantic Center of the Arts residents: Bonnie Ebner, Sally Hill, Maja Kalogera, Katie Loughmiller, Jane Remick, Tom Smith, Chase Starr, Merav Tzur at BayBar New Smyrna Beach, Oct 2014
THX everyone!!! :))

See also KATSU Mumble Cam™ for super quick & dirty POV video shooting!

Atlantic Center of the Arts, residents, Florida, Oct. 2014

Point Of View

solo show by Aram Bartholl
at Babycastles (FB), New York City
Feb 20. – April 10, 2015,
Preview Feb 19, 6:00 pm (RSVP)

Workshop on opening night:
Build your own POV head band for your phone!

Statment:

‘Point Of View’ questions the current paradigm shift of perspective. What is the role of the hand held screen framing our everyday life? How has gaming shaped the representation of our digital self?

Over the past 100 years the screen has moved constantly closer to our eyes. Most people today spend significantly more time looking at smart-phone screens than at computer screens or TVs (not to mention the cinema screen Games have been an important driving motor for the development of digital culture in the past four decades. The first person view popularized by early computer games like Doom and Duke Nukem has now entered the  real world with the growing popularity of head-mounted cameras. GoPro and Google Glass users generate a constant stream of pictures with their hands in view like a digital avatar. A whole range of digital glasses are poised to enter the market. The Oculus Rift promises the classic idea of cyberspace an immersive reality, while people in public extend their body with a selfie stick. Is the view leaving our body now? Will the picture frame finally disappear?

Let’s enjoy the last years of looking at each others screens in public transportation or over the shoulder in Let’s Play gaming videos. The point of view is changing.

Aram Bartholl 2015

Aram Bartholl 2015

Offline Art: ‘Your are not checked in’

at ‘Capture All!’, Transmediale, Berlin, 28.1.-1.2. 2015
curated by Aram Bartholl

Six positions capturing the state of social, mobile and post anything.

High Retention – Slow Delivery!!
Constant Dullaart, video 10:00 min, 2014
Artificial quantified social capital redistributed, Social media Socialism. 2.5 million Instagram followers were bought and distributed amongst a personal selection of the art-world active on Instagram.

A Letter To Young Internet Artists
Emilie Gervais, website, 2014
Art movements are as irrelevant as categorizing art under medium labels, because 2014 is about life.

Anti-social media protest
Citizens Against Social Media, protest, 2014
PROTEST AT THE SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK ROTTERDAM 2014

*PLSS
Claudia Mate, video, 2:12min,  2014
Portable Life Support System for the contemporary man.

lotru-on-hotpink.com – No Original Research series
Evan Roth, website, 2014
A series of websites, each created from a single animation and audio file found on wikipedia.org

Excellences & Perfections Video Essay
Amalia Ulman, video, 10:31min, 2014
A scripted online performance on Instagram and Facebook.

——————————————————————————————————–

The OFFLINE ART exhibition format:

Browser-based digital art works are broadcast locally from wifi routers which are not connected to the Internet. Each art work is assigned a single wifi router which is accessible through any device, like smart-phones, tablets or laptops. To access the different art works, the visitor has to connect to each network individually. The name of the network reflects the name of the artist. No matter what URL is opened, only the specific artwork appears in the browser. A small web server holding the art piece is installed on a USB flash drive which is connected to the router. Like frames holding the art, the routers are hung in the exhibition space which is otherwise empty. The art i tself becomes visible only on the visitor’s private screen.The pieces are locally widely accessible but disconnected from the Internet.

prior show in the offline art exhibition format at xpo gallery 2013