UBERMORGEN & Nye Thompson

UNINVITED

November 16, 2020 - March 20, 2021

In a globalized society where ostentatious ideology and digital technology bifurcate the world into two factions—the observers and the observed—Nye Thompson and UBERMORGEN delve into the core of the digital realm to cultivate a new "form of life" that evolves continuously through artificial intelligence. Described by the artists as "a radically new creature looking at the world where nothing makes sense, hearing the universe through millions of hallucinogenic, virally abused sensors," UNINVITED is an autonomous entity designed to infiltrate global CCTV systems, capturing images and transforming them into a chilling horror film where violence, anxiety, and paranoia take center stage. In this dystopian narrative, the Machines assume the roles of both subjects and producers.

UNINVITED is a multifaceted art project—a horror film, a web experience, and an immersive art installation. Within the ElectroPutere Gallery, the space transforms into an AI avatar inhabited by a mechatronic "Monster." This Monster, linked to a self-evolving botnet organism, traverses worldwide CCTV networks, collecting images that are processed and projected as a film within the gallery. The result is a horrifying exploration of a world dominated by surveillance networks and AI devices, where the Machines create a chaotic and disorienting digital reality.

Nye Thompson is an artist-turned-software designer-turned-artist, known for creating data-gathering software systems to investigate emerging technological paradigms. Her work delves into the machinic gaze and the power dynamics underlying it. Exhibiting internationally at institutions such as Tate Modern, The Barbican, The V&A, ZKM Karlsruhe, Ars Electronica, and The Lowry, her impact has been far-reaching. Her groundbreaking solo exhibition, Backdoored.io, described by Channel 4 News as "too shocking to broadcast," garnered global attention, becoming a media sensation and even triggering an international government complaint. Featured on platforms like the BBC, The Guardian, CNN, and Wired, Thompson has earned accolades including finalist positions in the Lumen Prize (2018 & 2019) and a shortlisting for the 2019 Rapoport Award for Women in Art and Technology. Recently, her work was acquired by the V&A Museum for its permanent collection. Critics have referred to her as "the new Big Brother" (Vogue) and "a contemporary Jacques Cousteau" (Bob & Roberta Smith).

UBERMORGEN founded in 1995 in Vienna by lizvlx and Hans Bernhard, UBERMORGEN (AT/CH/US) is an artist duo renowned for their subversive approach to data and matter. As pioneers of Net.Art in the 1990s and early 2000s, their work embodies a fusion of digital actionism and conceptual art. Described as "Maverick Austrian Business People" (CNN) and "simply brilliant" (The New York Times), UBERMORGEN’s oeuvre spans major exhibitions at institutions such as Centre Pompidou, MoMA PS1, Sydney Biennale, MACBA Barcelona, and Whitney Museum. Their influences range from Rammstein, Samantha Fox, and XXXTentacion to Viennese Actionism and experimental cuisine (KFC Coconut Shrimp Deluxe). With an extensive portfolio of over 175 websites and thousands of reviews and features, UBERMORGEN holds a professorship in Networks at the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, while actively participating in international conferences and symposia.

With:

Composer/Sound Designer: Thom Kubli

Project Consultant: Adrian Bojenoiu

Branding & Web Team: Studio Hyte

Industrial Design & Monster Prototype: Tareg Al-Zamel

Photography & Videography: Geoff Titley

Software Architecture & Machine Learning: Richard Hopkirk & Martin Dixon

Mechatronics: Modulab Bucharest

CCTV Visual Prototypes: Alexander Zenker

Supported By:

Administration of the National Cultural Fund (Romania), Arts Council England, British Council, City of Vienna, Federal Chancellery of Austria, Furtherfield, Haringey Council, OKdo, Pro Helvetia