Drones, mass surveillance and invisible wars, at the exhibition A screaming comes across the sky
Twelve international artists criticise with their works the way technology conceal and hide the political and social reality of the present-day wars
On Air, 2009-2012. Laurent Grasso. Foto: Courtesy of Laurent Grasso Studio, Paris
LABoral opens next Friday, October 10, Llega un grito a través del cielo. Drones, vigilancia de masas y guerras invisibles, an exhibition featuring the work of 12 international artists and several complementary activities to criticise the way technology and the military networks hide and conceal from us the political and social realities of today’s wars.
Drones have become one of the most powerful war weapons. Remotely activated by operators who are thousands of miles away from the location of the conflict, drones carry out air strikes that have killed thousands in countries like Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia. Llega un grito a través del cielo explores these increasingly invisible military technologies, used in wars that, in most cases, take place with maximum secrecy and out of public control. Flying over villages and towns loaded with cameras and weapons, drones have become a synonymous with terror: An overwhelming existential fear that, as if it were a memory of the future, warns us of an imminent danger.
Curated by Juha van ‘t Zelfde, Artistic Director of Lighthouse, in Brighton, Llega un grito a través del cielo focuses on the impact and terror generated by the armed conflicts where drones are used, addressing as well the ethical and legal ambiguity of UAVs, massive surveillance and “remotely controlled wars”. Some of the pieces showcased in the Exhibition Gallery of LABoral are poetic by nature and invite viewers to a calm reflection. On the other hand, there are other pieces that trigger an immediate and visceral reaction, by making the public physically experience the horror and the apprehension. And, as it often happens with tragedy, humor can be the best way to convey the message.
Together with the exhibition, LABoral has programmed several activities such as debates and workshops with the common purpose of triggering a reflection upon control and surveillance technologies and their relationship with art.
These activities will start on Saturday, October 11, at 1 p.m. with a round table that will be joined by the curator of the exhibition Juha van ‘t Zelfde; James Bridle , Mariele Neudecker y terminal beach, participating artists; and Paloma G. Díaz, from UNCOVERING Ctrl (http://www.uncoveringctrl.org/)
More information about the Activities Programme: http://www.laboralcentrodearte.org/en/education/actividades-llega-un-grito-a-traves-del-cielo?set_language=en
