UK FirstThurs 1 May and Fri 2 May
Contact Theatre, Oxford Road
In Dirt Party, the artists serve as moderators, carefully selecting information both private, but safe. It is enough to hint at humiliating gossip to inspire awareness of the issues. The notion of play is reinforced by mixing in outlandishly false headlines. A team of designers create real time graphics, which are presented at 20 minute intervals.
The concept examines the private and personal information available in public spaces online, specifically social networking sites. The utilization of these sites is becoming more pervasive, being used as both reflector of manicured personas, and source of perceived insight into personality. As participant in these sites we engage in roles as both voyeur and celebrity within the microcosm of our own social networks. These presentations of self, intended for specific social groups, often collide when found by others. Dirt Party seeks to question our desires to engage in this act, despite the obvious dangers.
The first Dirt Party took place at the Eyebeam 10th Anniversary benefit in May of 2007 and the theme was
"Celebrity Mashup". Party goers found the installation to be a fun ice breaker, and soon began giving their own gossip reports at the event.
Dirt Party is directly engaged with issues of social networking, and operates by accumulating information from party members available on these sites. By presenting this information at a highly social event, Dirt Party removes the elements of control and anonymity often perceived by users of social networks. By allowing event participants to SMS information, then displayed at the party, Dirt Party creates a playful way for people to engage in the voyeurism and celebrity implicit in social networks.
Socializing is being increasingly mediated by technology. What we term as 'social' is frequently asynchronous communication, created alone. Dirt Party takes the artifacts from this process, and presents them in a group context. The difference of experiencing together, in a social context, exposes the intended privacy of the social network. As everyone is exposed and voyeur, it becomes a cathartic experience, one that raises awareness while remaining fun.
Digital Situations develop both software and events, focusing on the intersections between computing and socializing. Their parties are engagements with technology in a festive and playful manner, involving computation, yet focusing on human to human interaction. Their code utilizes computing as a facilitator between people. Most recently, they created Hit! Or Sh!t, a media recommendation system for MTV Networks. Digital Situations are currently engaged in a year long fellowship at Eyebeam Atelier.
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