Installation view, [plug.in] Forum for New Media, Basel, 2007
Installation view, [plug.in] Forum for New Media, Basel, 2007
Installation view, Art Basel 2008: Art Unlimited, 2008. Photo by Simon Vogel.
Installation view, Art Basel 2008: Art Unlimited, 2008. Photo by Simon Vogel.
Passé Immédiat
19 January – 15 April 2007
[plug.in] Forum for New Media, Basel
- Appx. 600 outdated computers, monitors, keyboards, printers (partly functioning)
- 32 metal shelves, 104.9 x 6.2 ft
- A series of events adressing new discourses in media technology.
For six months, [plug.in] collected computer equipment that was no longer in use from many outlets in Basel and its surrounding region. Individuals made personal donations, and museums and companies made contributions. The objective was to collect a large and varied collection of computer equipment for this exhibit. Many of the computers found in the exhibition were not very old and were cycled out of use for various reasons. They are part of our collective immediate past, “Passé Immédiat.” About ten percent of the pieces in the installation belonged to museums; therefore, ninety percent could be considered “trash.” Approximately forty percent of the equipment actually functioned. What remained on the functioning computers provided an idea of what the machine was once used for and who used it.
The artist installed the exhibition so that the viewer questioned the nature of the space: was it a warehouse, technology museum, scrap yard or art installation? When thinking about and interacting with the antiquated computer equipment in this installation, many people felt a strong sense of nostalgia. One could find a personal connection with many of the models here. Perhaps you first learned to use the Internet on one of them.
In the installation, the artist spoke about the theme of value. What defines sentimental factors? The rarity of the equipment? What role does design and aesthetic criteria play? Or is the value solely based on function and worth? If a machine no longer functions, it can be scrapped and sold: the metal, copper and remaining functioning parts. Or is there a negative value because of the cost involved in selling, storing and transporting the equipment as well as the environmental factors involved in disposal?