The Glass Room San Francisco

Lucas Saugen 2019

Thank you to everyone who took part in The Glass Room San Francisco that ran from 16 October to 3 November 2019 with over 20,000 visitors, a daily program of events, and over 50 artworks that playfully and provocatively explore our relationship to technology.

To passers-by, The Glass Room looks like another slick, clean-lined store offering the latest shiny consumer products. But inside, nothing was for sale. What goes on behind the screens and inside the black boxes of the devices we interact with everyday? If we knew, would we still sign-in or click ‘I agree’? How much trust do users invest in big tech companies, and what can be done if that trust is broken?

The Glass Room previously opened exhibitions in Berlin, New York, and London and has since launched 471 Glass Room events in 61 countries, attracting more than 352,000 visitors, and sparking a global conversation on the technology we use in our everyday lives.

The Glass Room San Francisco included 5 different narratives: Trust In Us, Deeply Personal, Big Mother, Open the Box, and Invisible Labor.
Visitors at The Glass Room San Francisco.
One of five narratives in The Glass Room San Francisco. This area was called "Big Mother".
An image of a piece called "Stealings Your Feelings" by Noah Levenson.
One of five narratives at the The Glass Room San Francisco called "Trust In Us" illustrating an object by Tactical Tech and designed by La Loma called 100+ Protests.
An object called "Quick Fix" by Dries Depoorter in the "Deeply Personal" section of The Glass Room San Francisco.
An object called "5000times" by Kiki Mager in the "Invisible Labor" area of The Glass Room San Francisco.
An object called "100+ Protests" illustrates how tech companies have grown and expanded their global reach, there has been increasingly visible backlash and resistance against their practices from both inside and outside the industry.
The Glass Room San Francisco took place in an old two story Converse shop in the heart of downtown on Market St.
The Glass Room San Francisco included 5 different narratives: Trust In Us, Deeply Personal, Big Mother, Open the Box, and Invisible Labor.
Visitors at The Glass Room San Francisco.

Explore Featured Exhibits in The Glass Room San Francisco

Quick Fix

: Dries Depoorter @driesdepoorter

If you wish you had more followers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, Quick Fix lets you buy followers or likes in just a few seconds. C...

Ashley Madison Angels at Work in San Francisco

: !Mediengruppe Bitnik @Bitnk

If you happened to be looking for romance outside of your marriage pre-2015, the website Ashley Madison offered millions of users the chance to cha...

100+ Protests

: La Loma @La_Loma_info Tactical Tech @Info_Activism

As tech companies have grown and expanded their global reach, there has been increasingly visible backlash and resistance against their practices f...

Quotes from the press

Big Tech shattered in Glass Room art exhibit.

CNET — Glass Room San Francisco

There’s something about seeing deleted web searches printed out in receipt form — a physical manifestation of virtual activity — that puts things in perspective.

East Bay Times — Glass Room San Francisco

A new art and technology exhibit in downtown San Francisco mimics perfectly the ubiquitous form of so many technology stores — though not their function.

San Francisco Chronicle — Glass Room San Francisco