Media, Arts, Archives 2013-2017
Ed. Magdalena Taube and Krystian Woznicki
168 pages, including images
21 × 29.7 cm, paperback, English
Diamondpaper 2017 | ISBN 978-3-9817925-1-5 | 35 €
A FIELD GUIDE TO THE SNOWDEN FILES is the first book to critically
engage with artists responding to the NSA-files leaked by whistleblower
Edward Snowden. Considering the most relevant contexts in which the
files have ‘surfaced’ (including media and archives), it reflects on how
artists are deploying the files as raw material.
Contributors include Zeljko Blace, Andrew Clement, Colnate Group, Naomi
Colvin, Simon Denny, Corinna Haas, Christoph Hochhäusler, Evan Light,
Geert Lovink, M.C. McGrath, Henrik Moltke, Deborah Natsios, Julian
Oliver, Trevor Paglen, Laura Poitras, Norman Posselt, SAZAE bot, Stefan
Tiron, University of the Phoenix, Andi Weiland, Maria Xynou and John Young.
The book looks at the various civil society actors who have been
appropriating the historic leak and orders their responses according to
contexts in which the Snowden documents have been published: media, art
and archives. The different approaches share the common goal of
rendering the documents accessible – to both present and future
audiences. Reaching out to the general public, they have also tasked
themselves with reflecting on the complex political, social and
technological realities that the Snowden documents have helped to uncover.
The Snowden disclosures have triggered debates on democracy, civil
rights, the internet and intelligence agencies all around the world.
These debates have led to a number of political changes, including
negative ones: e.g., consolidating the delusion of cyber-security.
Meanwhile, the documents that triggered the debates remain arcane for
the general public, as well as for many experts. And it is not ensured
that the documents will be preserved for posterity or for those writing
our history.
The book takes this problem as its starting point and situates the
historic leak in the context of civic appropriation. Foregrounded are
artists who test the files as material and, by creating works, transform
them into commons.
A FIELD GUIDE TO THE SNOWDEN FILES has been conceived in the context of
SIGNALS, a project by Berliner Gazette e. V. which was funded by the
Capital Cultural Fund. The book is published in conjunction with
SIGNALS. AN EXHIBITION OF THE SNOWDEN FILES IN ART, MEDIA AND ARCHIVES,
September 12-26, 2017, at Diamondpaper Studio, curated by Magdalena
Taube and Krystian Woznicki. More info: http://berlinergazette.de/signals
You can buy the book here: http://diamondpaper.de/title_26