Outset Estonia supported the production of Memopol-3, an installation that mapped the visitor’s information field. Timo Toots’ installation was built on the technology of today and gathered data from the visitor’s passports or ID-cards and smartphones. These relationships, daily behaviours, important life events and photographic memories were then viewed from the perspective of a big brother, thus reminding of an Orwellian dystopia. The result was a 10-minute-long animated graph of the visitor’s life that was presented to the viewer privately in a separate room.
Memopol-3 aimed to turn attention to the surveillance society – to the constant flow of information that is hidden from our view and, at the same time, is constantly being monitored, processed, stored, transferred, sold and bought. No one has complete control, or an overview, of the data our daily lives are creating. Toots’ installation offered a total surveillance experience by monitoring the viewers presence and digital devices. The result, in the form of the animated video, was a reflection of the viewer that combined past and future, physical and immaterial.
Timo Toots (b. 1982) is an Estonian new media artist living and working in South Estonia, where he runs a residency and a studio space called Maajaam. His artistic research focuses on the relationship between humans and technology, addressing the question of privacy in a surveillance society. He has a background in computer science and photography, however, technology in general has become the subject of his works and a tool used in them. His main interest lies in the exposure of the virtual layers of our daily lives in a meaningful, expressive and effective way.
Memopol-3 was on view at ISEA2019 International Symposium on Electronic Art from June 22nd to 28th, 2019, in Gwangju, South-Korea.
