!Mediengruppe Bitnik: „Computer Says No“

Carmen Weisskopf and Domagoj Smoljo are the artist duo !Mediengruppe Bitnik. In their art they deal with media, especially digital media. They use computers and the Internet in their artistic work. In doing so, they make the hidden visible. For example, answers to questions such as: Who has control and power on the Internet? Themes of our coexistence are also often part of their art.

For their exhibition at the Kunsthalle Osnabrück, !Mediengruppe Bitnik looked at this: What problems arise when computer technology is misused for political purposes? Or when personal areas of life such as religion are exploited with the help of computer technology. They refer to the influence of artificial intelligence (AI). At the moment, many people believe that AI will be able to solve all our problems in the future. But AI is also an instrument of power. AI can be used to control information and exercise control. Mediengruppe Bitnik sees this as a danger. They call it tech fascism. This means that a few people can use computer technology to take power and control and direct other people. They can spread ideas of violence that threaten democracy. It becomes particularly dangerous when the state and the tech industry come together. For example, the appointment of Elon Musk as an advisor to US President Donald Trump. He owns a tech company and is one of the richest people in the world. Through his position as an advisor, he was able to influence politics. And he was able to use the data of millions of people for himself.

The Bitnik media group therefore asks the question: How can we protect ourselves from this kind of influence? What can we do against tech fascism? They have come up with instructions that can help us fight back. There was a template for these instructions.  The US secret service wrote the "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" in 1944. The "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" contained instructions on how to disrupt and obstruct dictatorships during World War II.

The "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" is more than 80 years old. But it is now being widely read again. Donald Trump took office for his second term in spring 2025. Since then, the manual has been downloaded very often. More than any other text from US government agencies.  !Mediengruppe Bitnik have translated the "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" into the present day. They ask: How could I resist in this way today? How can I do it with the help of technology?"

The artists have created an installation for the nave of the Kunsthalle Osnabrück. [An installation is a work of art in space. The installation transports us into a technical world of artificial light, neon lettering, sounds and various video works. The works stand in contrast to the Gothic nave of the Kunsthalle. This place used to be used for sermons. In the exhibition, an AI now preaches there. It is called "Qwen Stefani" and commemorates the singer Gwen Stefani. In the 1990s, she was the lead singer of the band No Doubt. As the art figure "Qwen Stefani", the AI animates the exhibition in the Kunsthalle Osnabrück and preaches for a solidary, democratic world.

Read more