Conflict in My Outlook — Don't Be Evil

Overview

Not that long ago, if you were talking about clouds, you were only referring to the type that float above our heads. Now, we're all uploading our lives to 'the cloud', because that's the term used for online data storage. And, while it's easy to save your photos and documents in accessible digital spots that you can connect to no matter which device you're using — more than that, it's common practice — this big shift has come with repercussions.

Displaying at the UQ Art Museum until Saturday, January 22, Conflict in My Outlook — Don't Be Evil takes part of its moniker from Google's famous motto. If you're wondering why, that's because this exhibition ponders the labour, data, infrastructure, technology and all-round pervasiveness of our always-online world. A group of artists has ruminated over the topic, as well as the reality we're all living right now, and then created pieces that overtly reference and/or endeavour to bring to life not just the internet, but all it holds and stands for.

You won't simply be peering at work by Zach Blas and Jemima Wyman, Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, Simon Denny, Xanthe Dobbie, Sean Dockray, Forensic Architecture and Kate Geck — among others — but you'll also be interacting with installations, screen-based works, and both augmented reality and virtual reality.

Entry is free — and unlike plenty of online services that promise the same, that doesn't involve letting the exhibition track your online movements in return.

Xanthe Dobbie. Cloud Copy, 2021.  Installation view, Don't Be Evil, UQ Art Museum, 2021. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Louis Lim.

Top images: Kate Geck. rlx:tech – defrag🌸popup, 2021. Installation view, Don't Be Evil, UQ Art Museum, 2021. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Louis Lim.