backlit gallery presents ‘silk to silicon’ by sebastian koseda

 

from 25th february to 27th march 2022, backlit gallery presents a new body of work by award-winning contemporary artist & designer sebastian koseda for his debut solo show titled ‘silk to silicon’. the exhibition spotlights tensions between automation, craftspeople, and workers throughout english history and into tomorrow, using a timeline that illuminates how historical silk weaving techniques have informed modern binary code, effectively setting the stage for the spectacular crypto-mining, drone-delivering, data-harvesting, all-consuming, digital world we occupy today.sebastian koseda silk to silicon at backlit gallery nottingham 1

all images courtesy of sebastian koseda

 

 

a luddite revivalism 

 

on the official ‘silk to silicon’ website (which accompanies the physical exhibition), sebastian koseda explains that in 1779, the luddites movement waged war against machinery as their craft was threatened by automated looms. they destroyed mechanical apparatus across england in protest against machines ‘hurtful to commonality’. ‘nearly 250 years later the ghost of ned ludd haunts us, his looms weave repeat patterns as we behold the 4th industrial revolution. are we to witness a luddite revivalism?’ the artist asks. ‘as every aspect of our lives is now facilitated, enmeshed, and structured through digital technologies, what place does resistance have in the imagination of new and improved futures? whose perspectives and lived experiences are obscured in the chase for new and revolutionizing tech?’

 

using moving image, woven textiles, and graphic design to explore these themes, koseda takes us through a chronological journey to ask important ethical questions, prompting us to imagine our shared futures through a lens that accommodates innately human anxieties, be they real or distorted, around narratives of progress and creativity.

sebastian koseda silk to silicon at backlit gallery nottingham 2

sebastian koseda silk to silicon at backlit gallery nottingham 4

1/3
1
 
1
 
1
 

project info:

 

 

exhibition name: silk to silicon
artist: sebastian koseda
location: backlit gallery

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom