But is it art?

I'm intrigued - and a little baffled! - by a new project from German artist Aram Bartholl. He's part of the Eyebeam art and technology center, which describes itself as follows:

Eyebeam is an art and technology center that provides a fertile context and state-of-the-art tools for digital research and experimentation. It is a lively incubator of creativity and thought, where artists and technologists actively engage with culture, addressing the issues and concerns of our time. Eyebeam challenges convention, celebrates the hack, educates the next generation, encourages collaboration, freely offers its contributions to the community, and invites the public to share in a spirit of openness: open source, open content and open distribution.

Eyebeam describes Mr. Bartholl as follows:

Aram Bartholl has been working in Berlin since 1995. He studied architecture at the University of the Arts UdK Berlin and graduated there in 2001. His art work has been shown worldwide in festivals, galleries and museums ...

In his art work Aram Bartholl thematizes the relationships between net data space and public every day life. “In which form does the network data world manifest itself in our everyday life? What returns from cyberspace into physical space? How do digital innovations influence our everyday actions?” Through his installations, workshops and performances Bartholl developed a unique way to discuss the impact of the digital era on society.

In his series of physical objects recreated from digital space and a series of light installations he questions the technology driven society and the tension of public on- and offline space. Workshops interventions and performances in public play a central role in his interest to create offline social platforms and situations to discuss day to day life in the era of Google, Facebook, Twitter and co.

So far, so good. I have no pretensions to being an artist, but Mr. Bartholl and the Eyebeam project appear to be legitimate. However, I'm not sure I can identify with his latest project.

I am pleased to preview ‘Dead Drops’ a new project which I started off as part of my ongoing EYEBEAM residency in NYC the last couple weeks. ‘Dead Drops’ is an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space. I am ‘injecting’ USB flash drives into walls, buildings and curbs accessable to anybody in public space.

You are invited to go to these places (so far 5 in NYC) to drop or find files on a dead drop. Plug your laptop to a wall, house or pole to share your favorite files and data. Each dead drop contains a readme.txt file explaining the project. ‘Dead Drops’ is still in progress, to be continued here and in more cities. Full documentation, movie, map and ‘How to make your own dead drop’ manual coming soon! Stay tuned.

In the meanwhile drop some files here!

87 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (Makerbot)
Empire Fulton Ferry Park, Brooklyn, NY (Dumbo)
235 Bowery, NY (New Museum)
Union Square, NY (Subway Station 14th St)
540 West 21st Street, NY (Eyebeam)

He's set up a Web site to cover the spread of his 'dead drops', and is encouraging others to set up their own versions.

I guess it sounds OK from an artistic perspective, I guess . . . but hasn't Mr. Bartholl heard of viruses? Botnets? Trojan horses and other nefarious software? If I were one of those distributing such nasties, I'd be hugging myself with glee at so wonderful an opportunity to spread my cybernetic trash around the entire artistic community!

(On the other hand, I posted an article here a couple of years ago about the artistic beauty of computer viruses . . . so perhaps this is a logical extension of the concept!)





Peter