Faceless

Announcement of ‚a book on this continual phenomenon‘ with statements from the artist Bogomir Doringer, his co-curator Brigitte Felderer from the university of applied arts in Vienna and Matthias Tarasiewicz from the artistic technology lab (also university of applied arts).

The premise of FACELESS is to explore the common occurrence of hidden faces in contemporary society. September 11 and its consequences led to a change in security concepts and the installment of surveillance systems in public spaces- presented to us as if for our own safety. As a result, we feel that our faces are becoming „compressed“ and exposed. Could subversive media strategies regain this lost privacy? Following the events of 9/11, images of masked faces of terrorists became dominant in the media; repeated as a ghostly, unknown presence that reminds us of the unsafe time we live in.At the same time, throughout Europe people began to pursue a ban on burqas. In addition to the loss of privacy, the rules of modern technology demand that we be constantly visible. Social networks, promote as platforms for communication, came to define standards of everyday activity and lifestyle. They approach us with the promise of serving as tools for self-promotion, but increasingly invade our privacy with our express consent. The unstable identity of the present begs for the return of power of the mask from ancient times, when it was used as a form of protection, disguise, performance, or just plain entertainment.

Language: English