Dislocation

Kevin Kelly is indeed right. The economic paradigm of digital capitalism is no longer a thorough “change”, which takes place once in a long while, but an endless and ever-evolving “churn.” Yet, when people regard “the Law of Churn” as the prime law of the new economy, we need to further ask a question: does such a law actually bring joy, as it had amply promised?

Anxious people grip new inventions, interfaces, key performance indicators, etc., while examining incessantly whether they keep abrest of the times – all to ensure they grasp the coordinates of the map by which they can securely position themselves within the system (including the social network constructed by the new tools). People worry that they will be ruthlessly thrown out of the train of the system and fall into condemnation if the grip is loosen.

Therefore, constantly and subtly “calibrate oneself” becomes a survival necessity.

And then? People seem to gain unprecedented security in the history of human civilization. However, as soon as they find out that they are away from their cell phones, they are gripped by anxiety. Once out of the GPS coverage, they feey like getting lost in the wilderness. As soon as the Facebook dies, they feel isolated from the world. Will such strong attachment to system and precise indicator make people vulnerable more than ever before?

Facing digital technology – the media that bypassess the material decay and afford the greatest possibility for precise control and manipulation – how artists “misplacedly” interprete the vulnerability of digital capitalism through their sensitivities. “Dislocation”, as the exhibition theme, seeks to untie the strict systemic control with the artistic sensitivity.

Chiao CHEN

Curator

Tainan National University of the Arts

Assistant Professor