open letter

The robot as a medium
2009

Based on the political instrument of the open letter, the robot in the exhibition space becomes the messenger of Internet users' statements. Normally, Internet users exchange their views on various Internet platforms, but they cannot reach leading organizations such as their government or other official institutions in this way. The robot gives the user a voice from the Internet by writing down the messages, publishing them in the exhibition and finally sending them to the desired institution.

To this end, “open letter” invites users to express their opinion on the installation's website. The text is transmitted to the robot writer in the exhibition, where the machine autonomously fulfills its task, puts the messages on paper and thus creates the open letters. The letters become part of the exhibition, but they are also documented photographically and transferred to the installation's online archive, where they can be read, commented on and discussed by anyone. At the end of the exhibition, the open letters will be handed over to the addressee.

The robot acts like the scribes in earlier times, when most people could not write themselves. It mediates between two systems, the established institutions on the one hand, which often form almost hermetically sealed units, and the Internet as a place of communication for everyone on the other. While institutions operate in well-regulated political structures, the Internet has created a new culture of communication and expression, where predominantly young people express their opinions and preferences, where exchange is multidirectional and information is accessible to everyone at any time.

“open letter” combines the contemporary medium of the Internet with all its virtual dimensions with the traditional medium of a physically written message. The installation encourages active participation in society and its political organizations.