Generative Net-Based Installation
Realtime Stories – Mapping the Free Flow of Information Around the World in Realtime is a net-based installation consisting of four large wall-sized projections and eight audio channels.
You can see and hear what is happening in the world right now. What is on people’s minds at the moment. How different lives are being lived simultaneously. An endless flow of countless stories. You become an observer and monitor and can actively participate at the same time.
How it works
User-generated content from various social networks such as Flicker, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube is retrieved in real time as soon as the user clicks ‘send’. These posts are transferred and orchestrated into the exhibition space, multilingual and multicultural, to create an immersive audiovisual experience. It does not matter which topic, which language, which continent or which culture the contributions come from. The only criteria that counts is “novelty” and “vividness”.
Background
In traditional photography and video art, it’s a group of artists or an individual artist who decides what will be shown. With user-generated content, people around the world are given a voice to share their thoughts and stories. In this way we are able to better reflect our lives, our hopes, our aspirations and especially the culture of the younger generation. We believe this can have a broader and more substantial meaning than traditional art can provide.
The profound digital information and communication revolutions we are exposed are unique in the history of mankind. How can we capture their implications? Where do we start? To understand the current situation, we give a voice to users of social networks. They see things in their immediate vicinity. Their posts are personal viewpoints and a window into a changing world. As a gigantic sum, they provide a comprehensive picture of the world. A mirror of our society. They raise awareness and bring a global perspective to the fore.
Social networks are neither celebrated nor despised. They are treated with curiosity and acceptance. Visitors should be irritated, surprised and amazed to start discussions among themselves and at the same time they can actively participate by posting.