Gym of Obsolete Technology

When thousands of protesters took to the streets of Cairo to demand an end to the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian government cut the nation off from all forms of incoming and outgoing online communications. The breakdown, or disconnection, of wireless networks caused a rise in analogue communications and illuminated the physical structure of power and control that exists in what we often perceive to be ‘immaterial’ and decentralized communications channels.

The exhibition Gym of Obsolete Technology in W139 opens on the 29th of January and runs through until the 28th of February. During Gym of Obsolete Technology, artists visualize and give form to the tensions between the analogue and the digital that come into being during moments of transference, circumvention, and interference.

Imagine a space where visitors can pass iMacs back and forth like medicine balls. Where virtual reality experiences lead the brain while old hard drives train muscles during a fitness class. The ‘gym’ installation serves as the entrance point into the exhibition, where visitors can interact with the weight of obsolete technologies in a surreal gym framework.

With the original intention in mind, the participating artists of Gym of Obsolete Technology branch out to deal with topics such as economies of energy, our fantasies of physical interaction with the digital, the clumsiness of technology, use and obsolescence in our social experience of technology, digital materiality, how the sacred is transformed through digital simulation, and the visualization of invisible signals. The exhibition illuminates the increasingly invisible and ubiquitous digital form, while simultaneously pointing to the weight and waste generated by planned obsolescence and a tireless quest for ‘innovation’ and novelty in digital objects.

Luis Rodil-Fernández - Gym of Obsolete Technology

Blind Panels Podcast Episode 19: The Gym of Obsolete Technologies

Opening, Friday 29th of January 20:00 - 01:00

With a special performance from Max Dovey and the Dial-Up Choir and DJ’s.

RadioWaves, Monday 1st of February, 17:00 - 18:00

Artists Femke Dekker and Nicole Martens host a Red Light Radio show, extending the scope of their installation inside W139 onto the FM waves.

Workshop, Sunday 7th of February 7th, 15:00 - 17:00

A hands-on workshop from coders and activists Elli and Niki. It provides an introduction to programming and software for both beginners as well as old pros.

RadioWaves part 2, Sunday 7th of February, 14:00

Artist Luis Rodil-Fernández broadcasts software for public reception over Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee radio, demonstrating the creative potential of piracy.

Lecture, Thursday 11th of February, 19:00 - 21:00

A lecture and discussion evening with curator and researcher Amal Alhaag; artist Luis Rodil-Fernández and activist and researcher Michael Brennan.

Yoga class, Sunday 21st of February, 18:30 - 23:00

Join us for a Technological Decompression - a yoga class and synth accompaniment - and a Live performance from BARTIRA, hacking and cracking her way through found analog technologies to create sound and musical possibilities.

PC dump days, 288 Kbps surfing and feline file sharing Lecture event Thursday 25th of February, 19:00 - 22:00

For the second lecture evening of Gym of Obsolete Technology, we will be joined by Dennis de Bel, Olia Lialina and Peter Luining.

Reviews

SSBA-salon written by Sanneke Huisman

Parool, thursday 4 February 2016
gym-parool.jpg (15.85 MB)

For their support, we would like to thank the following organizations and companies:
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant • Spectro Productions • van Gansewinkel • Alberta Foundation for the Arts • Heezen Bv Eindhoven • ArtEZ School of the Arts, Arnhem • Pyrasied Xtreme Acrylic • The State of Texas •