Aluhut

Is it possible to be offline? Is it worth striving for? Does it lead to a new form of freedom or luxury? How important is it for our culture to keep a distance from the internet, its algorithms and artificial intelligences? How have the world, spaces and conventions changed through the internet? It has long been a part of the human  nature to create devices that expand the possibilities of our kind, sowhy would a reasonable personwant to be cut off from their prosthesis? Can we imagine disconnecting as a liberating amputation? The exhibition presented installations and objects by chmara.rosinke, breadedEscalope, Klemens Schillinger, Patrick Rampelotto and the TRIALE Institute that sought answers to these questions. Cables disappear and are replaced by waves, invisible to the human eye, that constantly surround us and transfer incredible amounts of data globally. This fact isn't welcomed by everyone, it also alerts critics and even paranoid neurotics who use the fear of waves to spread conspiracy theories – or, as they might put it – alternative information. The tin foil hat has become a quasi-icon of this movement. It first appeared in Julien Huxley's 1926 science fiction short story Tissue-Culture King. A certain effect of the tin foil hat is scientifically proven, but it remains up to debate if Huxley was aware of this. “A tinfoil hat protects the cerebral cortex from external alpha particles. It can also protect from beta particles if the foil is thick enough”, says Rolf Michel, Professor for Radiation Protection at the Leibnitz University in Hannover. Not only does the tin foil hat shield against ionising radiation, it also protects against radio-frequency and mobile phone radiation when worn correctly. While it is certainly not the work of a genius, it can't be dismissed as pure madness either. In line with scientific knowledge, we created a tin foil hat designed as a type of furniture for domestic use. To achive the desired effect the aluminium is 3 mm strong making the object  more of a hood than a hat, which would be very heavy and uncomfortable to wear. With its elegant appearance and careful choice of colour we want to push the tin foil hats well deserved breakthrough.

Year: 2017
Material: aluminum, pine wood
Realised for: exhibition Exit, gallery Spazio Pulpo