The 1-channel video «Liminal Clouds» features a series of sky images taken from idyllic desktop backgrounds, superimposed on top of each other. Landscapes, skies, and clouds have long been popular as digital desktop decorations, with the famous "Bliss" landscape by Microsoft being one of the most viewed images ever. In Liminal Clouds, the sky images gently sway back and forth, suggesting a calming rocking motion. At regular intervals, static lines of text appear over the moving skies. These text fragments are snippets of support messages and instructions from various apps, operating systems, and digital assistants, including phrases like "Getting better together" and "Allow us to keep you safe."
Liminal Clouds explores our role amidst the myriad digital tools and assistants available today and in the future, prompting a discussion on our position between self-determination and loss of control. In a state between waking and dreaming, we read the messages from these digital assistants, half-consciously following their prompts. They offer help and solutions, presenting options that AI in a distant, diffuse cloud has already determined for us.
Biography
Christian Schumacher (*1977) studied at the art academies in Basel and Lucerne. In his works, he examines our perception, emotions, relationships and expectations in relation to the technologies of our everyday digital lives and reflects on formats of contemporary net culture in the context of art. He lives and works near Basel.