Data Retention II, 2016
SCA Galleries, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney
Computer server racks, computer servers, Ethernet cabling, tie wire, LED lighting, fluorescent tubes, perfect bound books, engraved aluminium panel, looped audio.
Irrational fear and absorption in an increasingly networked society – Flows of capital, digital, the real, the virtual is uncertain.
NSA and Australia retention of metadata.
Expresses this through displays of sinister ‘packages’ = books.
They hold data. Plus disturbingly resemble IEDs.
Ambiguously wired devices – mind’s desire to invent ‘paranoid’ connections where there are none.
The horror of the immortality of data – forever visible.

The title for algorithm plate is from the Russian absurdist poet Daniil Kharms “This is This./ That is That./ This is not That./ This is not This./ The rest is either this or not this./ All is either that or not that”

Gianni Wise, “That is not this, this is not that”, Engraved aluminium panel, 2016. Photo Ian Hobbs

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, install view of lighting cabinets with audio internally, 2016. Photo: Ian Hobbs.

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, install view of lighting cabinets with audio internally, 2016. Photo: Ian Hobbs.

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, install view with details of ‘data drives’ as books. 2016. Photo Ian Hobbs

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, install view showing data shelving, 2016. Photo Ian Hobbs

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, detailed view, 2016. Photo Ian Hobbs

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, Closeup install view, 2016. Photo Ian Hobbs

Gianni Wise, “Data Retention II”, Closeup install view, 2016. Photo Ian Hobbs