The Darknet Spa
The FAEN exhibition, Galleri KiT, Trondheim 2021
Meta.Morf Biennale X - The Digital Wild, Trondheim 2020
The Darknet Spa is an immersive sound installation that focuses on the topic of anonymous internet browsing through what is called the Darknet or Dark Web. The Dark Web is that part of the internet that operates outside the fringes of digital society, a lawless, virtual land where you are free to roam without government regulation or corporate intervention. The terms ‘surface web’, ‘deep web’ and ‘dark web are often used to illustrate the “geographics” of the internet and to explain the different levels of accessibility and encryption.
Freud ́s model of the human mind categorises three levels of consciousness: the conscious, subconscious and unconscious. Through guided meditation, the Darknet Spa offers the audience to delve into the unconscious of our digital hive- mind, offering a glimpse into the darker sides of our collective psyche. The artwork investigates the responsibility we place on our technologies and how they ultimately function as a mirror that reflects back to us the broken parts of our society. Simultaneously the work underlines the gap between our physical and digital experiences, incorporating the viewer’s body into the Darknet as a materialized physical space.
Documentation by Zane Cerpina
The Darknet Spa was developed as part of the FAEN (Female Artistic Experiments Norway) project, established and developed by curator Zane Cerpina. Technical advice and assistance was provided by Boris Kourtoukov and installation building by Tobias Oscar Lehrskov- Schmidt. Special thanks to William Carruthers for lending his voice and to Jessy Chenal for general assistance. The FAEN exhibitions have been generously funded by Arts Council Norway and many thanks to Trondheim Kommune for helping to finance the second edition of the Darknet Spa.
The Darknet Spa
(Online edition)
The Darknet Spa
(first edition)
Sound installation / Mixed media
FAEN - Female Artistic Experiments Norway
Atelier Nord, 2019
The Darknet Spa
(original performance)
Galleri KiT, 2017
