The White Room Berlin

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Laura Fiorio 2016

The White Room was a live installation in the exhibition Nervous Systems at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), curated by Stephanie Hankey and Marek Tuszynski of Tactical Tech and Anselm Franke of HKW. Open from 11 March to May 9 2016, The White Room had nearly 10,000 visitors during its opening.

The White Room manifests as the ideal corporate shopping experience; fully equipped with data experts, product lines and a hands- on training facility. ‘Valued customers’ can play with our everyday devices and gain a better understanding of the digital shadows they cast. Through sleek interfaces and user friendly systems, visitors will see how individual identities are mediated by the state and through corporations. The White Room shows participants how data is aggregated by their activities in existing technological environments and acts as a guide for the broader scope of the ‘self' within these environments. Through this interactive experience, visitors will acquire the knowledge to make more informed choices online based on the current state of internet freedom, privacy, and surveillance.

Map of the Google empire Credits: Hendrik Lehmann 2016

The range of artworks, investigations, products, and advocacy projects presented in the space emphasize the importance of digital autonomy, its political implications, and are arranged into four thematic sections: The Ingenious Bar; Something to Hide; Big Mama; and Normal is Boring.

Map of the Google empire

Quotes from the press

The White Room opens up the black box of our daily technological environment, brings to light the links between Silicon Valley’s most successful start-ups and the military-industrial complex, and even uncover the Big Brother that hides behind the benevolent masks of some philanthropic initiatives.

We Make Money Not Art — White Room Berlin

The White Room offers a tour through the newest developments in apps and wearable technologies – fitness trackers, subcutaneous contraceptive implants, biometric ID cards – along with insight into their possible grievances: punitive insurance premiums, corporate control over employees’ fertility, financial capture of even destitute citizens.

FRIEZE D/E — White Room Berlin

The White Room Berlin in the press

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