NEW YORK: ARAM BARTHOLL DIGITALIZES CONCRETE WALLS

Aram Bartholl inserts USB-Sticks - 'Dead Drops' - into New York City's walls 

Currently in residence at New York’s Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, Berlin-based artist and architect Aram Bartholl (*1972, Bremen) digitalizes concrete, by inserting USB-Sticks into walls. As the artist explains, 'it inverts the idea of the portable memory stick. The city itself becomes an immobile USB drive that you have to go to it to plug in'. People might eye you, if you should try to squeeze your laptop against a wall, in order to export, or import some 'artistic' data. Still - it's probably worth a try. Metaphorically, Bartholl reminds us of virtual viruses and therefore of trust - trust in the concrete, the stabil, the basis, so to speak. Think about how many times in your life, you've pushed your credit card into a cash machine's slot without worrying. This sort self-evident behavior, which became part of our contemporary culture, seems to be ironically visualized through Bartholl's USB-Sticks - a commodity item used for confidential data exchange. 'A dead drop is the classic term for spots used by spies in spy movies,' the artist explains. So good luck to all New Yorker's who wish to be part of Bartholl's digital espionage thriller.  



Eyebeam Art and Technology Center

Datenform - Aram Bartholl's Homepage

Dazeddigital - Interview with Aram Bartholl