progressive computer spiral by christian philipp mueller / art basel 2008

for six months, [plug.in] collected computer equipment that was no longer in use through

many outlets within basel and its neighboring regions. personal donations from individuals,

contributions from museums and companies were made. the objective was to collect

a large and varied collection of computer equipment for this exhibit. many of the computers

found in the exhibit are not very old and have been cycled out of use for various reasons.

they are part of our collective immediate past, ‘passé immédiat’. about ten percent of the

pieces in the installation belong to museums; ninety percent could be considered ‘trash’.

approximately forty percent of the equipment actually functions. what is left on the

functioning computers gives an idea of what the machine was once used for and who used it.  
the artist installed this exhibition in a way that would leave the viewer questioning what kind

of space it is: a warehouse, technology museum, scrap yard or art installation.

when thinking about and interacting with the antiquated computer equipment in thisinstallation,

many people feel a strong sense of nostalgia. one can find a personal connection with many

of the models here. perhaps you first learned to use the Internet on one of them.

in the installation, the artist speaks about the theme of value. what defines the sentimental factors?

the rarity of the equipment? what roll does design and aesthetic criteria play? or is the value

solely based on function and worth? if a machine no longer functions, it can be scrapped and sold;

the metal, copper and remaining functioning parts. or is it a negative value because of the cost

involved in selling, storing and transporting the equipment as well as

the environment factors involved in disposal?

the exhibition includes about 600 outdated computers, monitors, keyboards, printers… (partly running)

32 metal shelfs, 104, 9 x 6,2 feets

[plug.in] art and new media, basel is series of events addressing new discourses in media technology. http://www.iplugin.org

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