Technology and technical devices are familiar companions; they fit seamlessly into our present and into our everyday life, they shape our perception, our interaction with each other and, likewise, with the entire world. Human behavior in the face of this kind of technologized life is the starting point for Andrea Fortmann’s artistic work: screens and smartphones are image carriers, common application software is used to find images. In a playful yet tangible way, Fortmann uses technological peculiarities to draw conclusions about our behavior and our relationship to them. The artist is interested in empty and missing spaces, doubles and framings, as well as in the ambiguity with which we physically encounter user interfaces and touchscreens. Technology has become a user-friendly means to everyday ends. But to which means do we actually resort? How much agency do we actually have? Andrea Fortmann explores these questions and seeks new perspectives with self-reflective participation, critical openness and a candid sense of humor.
The two-part group of works consists of a "main channel" – a monitor resting on the floor (if you let this reach you, you may want to reach out to), as well as an expandable series of "broadcasts" played through smartphones in several of the exhibition galleries (you may want to reach out to, so what you’ll go then for). The monitor shows a 360° view of the artist in an outdoor space. Using an external touchpad, we are prompted to change the view of the revolving mini-earth sphere. The self-initiated change between "proximity" and "distance" gives the impression of an active intervention. Although we move closer to the hand extended towards us, this one-sided action simultaneously puts us in an apathetic position: despite presumed interactivity, we repeatedly encounter the same coarsely pixelated, empty hand in the center of the maximized close-up view. Framed by sculpturally abraded hard foam, the "broadcasts" also raise the question of activity, passivity, and consequence – of input and output. Their hybrid presence as monitor, switch, and packaging embeds the smartphones in the blue insulation and expands their surface. The screens, althoughsensitive to touch, attribute a passive role to us through the systematic reproductionof everyday instances of irritation, triggering reflection regarding the limitations of our possible actions.
Translation: Plattform team
Photo credits: Guadalupe Ruiz