URTICA Art and Media Research Group: Social Engine

Exhibition at Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, 11.11.2005 to 02.12.2005
Project presentation, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, 11.11.2005

The project Social Engine by Urtica Art and Media Research Group (Eduard Balaz / Violeta Vojvodic) explores how cultural patterns spread. It was designed as an online database of memes, units of information transmissable through cultural behavior, which are then passed on to other people by imitation (Richard Dawkins). Memes are not coded as universal codes, and are consequently subjected to constant variations, i.e. modalities of expression by different users. Meme vehicles are textual and visual entities that possess a strong emotional charge and a high inter-subjective value. One might say that Social Engine is the stage upon which a “battle” is going on—a multi-headed conflict under the flag of a single idea.

The exhibition consisted of a terminal that visitors could use to access the current version of Social Engine, along with a wall piece containing icons from various meme carriers. At the opening, URTICA gave a presentation on the structure and workings of Social Engine.