critical infrastructure lab

an interactive art intervention

Together with the artist collective weise7, we produced an exhibit called “antennas and us” in the OBA Amsterdam public library. The artistic intervention, phase shift, is an interactive representation of a 5G antenna. It follows library visitors through motion sensors in a similar way that 5G antennas do in a process called ‘beamforming’. The antenna representation drew visitors into conversations with us about the experience of communication infrastructures in their everyday lives. 

Visitors were also intrigued by the low tech guides against high tech surveillance created by fieke jansen in collaboration with design collective idiotēs. The guides framed the exhibit and provided a rich context for it. The guides display information on Wifi-tracking, Thermal imaging and Facial recognition, which can be used to become a digital explorer of your city. The artistic interventions travelled the library of Amsterdam, the “frictions and frequencies” exhibition in Berlin, our office, and hopefully, your neighbourhood.

weise7, the home to critical engineering, is exhibiting phase shift, a work in collaboration with the critical infrastructure lab. the exhibition “frictions and frequencies” opened on 28 September by a demonstration of the work and a talk entitled “In Your Aerial” by Teresa Dillon, artist, researcher and Professor of City Futures, School of Arts, UWE, Bristol. the work has been on display at the amsterdam public library (central station) previously.

exhibit at the amsterdam public library (centre location), november 2022 – february 2023.

together with weise7 we organized an exhibit called ‘antennas and us’ in the amsterdam public library to show the invisible workings of telecommunications networks, and beamforming in particular. the exhibition runs from november 2022 until march 2023.

also shown at the exhibition are the low tech guides against high tech surveillance created by fieke jansen in collaboration with design collective idiotēs. use these low tech guides to become a digital explorer in your own city. see your neighborhood in a new light while exploring issues around facial recognition, thermal imaging, and wi-fi tracking.

The work was subsequently exhibited in Berlin in October 2023.