<nettime> IOCOSE (2012) - A Crowded Apocalypse

[paolo - IOCOSE <contact@iocose.org>]

Dear nettimers,
we would like to introduce you to our new project.

We have been using crowdsourcing to generate a series of potential
conspiracy theories. The online project, named 'A Crowded Apocalypse',
is available at http://www.acrowdedapocalypse.com. Here you can see
the process through which the crowd has contributed to create a series
of conspiracy narratives and, in the final stage, has 'protested'
against them.

We have also recently discussed the implications of this
work in an interview with Marc Garrett, available at
http://andfestival.org.uk/blog/iocose-garrett-interview-furtherfield

Hope you'll find this interesting. Best,


--

*IOCOSE
A Crowded Apocalypse
*(2012)

Link (pictures and information):
*http://www.iocose.org/works/a_crowded_apocalypse*


*STATEMENT*

*In the Atlantean period there were many energies being used and
information and knowledge being used which were, for particular
reasons of safety, withdrawn, shall we say, to prevent complete
catastrophe, to prevent total destruction of your planet *

- David Icke, conspiracy theorist

Conspiracy theories are, by their definition, neither ultimately
refutable or acceptable. In order to hold true, they rely on the
acceptance that the full evidence is not reachable. They are based on
a shared belief: the idea that each one of us is an unaware piece in a
mysterious master plan.

Crowdsourcing, instead, makes this more transparent. Each user
contributes to the creation of something which is bigger than the sum
of each singular production. The final plan remains unknown, but it is
actively produced by a large crowd.

IOCOSE has been drawing on crowdsourcing to hijack the collective
imagination. From January until June 2012, the "crowd" has been
assembling its own conspiracies and protested against their
protagonists and effects.

*http://acrowdedapocalypse.com*

*PRESS RELEASE*

>From January until June 2012 artist group IOCOSE has been drawing
on crowdsourcing to generate a multitude of conspiracy theories. The
group has commissioned a series of micro tasks, each of them being
almost completely meaningless. However, when put together, the tasks
collectively contributed to generate a series of potential paranoias.
In the final stage, IOCOSE has paid the 'crowd' to go in the streets
and 'protest' against the stories generated through crowdsourcing. The
outcome is a collection of pictures of online workers, from all over
the world, who received money to simulate a global conspiracy.

The website *http://acrowdedapocalypse.com* displays the process
through which the group IOCOSE has completed the project. In an
initial stage, the group asked the crowd to draw a symbol. Then
commissioned a list of potential dangerous corporations, governments
or fictitious entities. The next stage required the crowd to combine
these names with the symbol and generate evidences of a secret plan,
which linked these names together. Then the crowd was asked to
articulate further and narrate these potential conspiracies, while in
the final stage they were asked to write a slogan, go in the streets
and take a picture of themselves, with their face covered. In each
stage, the workers were not aware of where that task was coming from,
and where it was headed.


Sony, the government of Pakistan, American Apparel and Pizza Hut,
among other real or fictitious entities, have been involved in this
global protest. An uncountable number of potential reasons of concern
and mysterious secret plans have been generated through crowdsourcing,
each piece costing less than a few US Dollars.

IOCOSE has investigated the relation between crowdsourcing and
conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are, by their definition,
neither ultimately refutable or acceptable. In order to hold true,
they rely on the acceptance that the full evidence is not reachable.
They are based on a shared belief: the idea that each one of us is an
unaware piece in a mysterious master plan. Crowdsourcing, instead,
makes this more transparent. Each user contributes to the creation of
something which is bigger than the sum of each singular production.
The final plan remains unknown, but it is actively produced by a large
crowd.


*CONTACT*

*http://acrowdedapocalypse.com*

*http://www.iocose.org/works/a_crowded_apocalypse*
*contact@iocose.org*


*CREDITS*

*A Crowded Apocalypse* is commissioned by *AND
Festival<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fandfestival.org.uk%2Fevent%2Fonline-crowded-apocalypse-0&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGabhuM8qzQBscvouD4stbIF-iXtQ>
* and *Furtherfield<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furtherfield.org%2Fprogrammes%2Fexhibition%2Finvisible-forces&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEpPfAPHal23OHP-qIpq-GFzrRQ6g>
*.


 *ARTIST BIO*


 Artist group *IOCOSE <http://iocose.org/>* has been working since
2006. Their mission is to subvert ideologies, processes and practices
of identification and production of meanings. IOCOSE work with
camouflage, mimicry, fakes and pranks, mostly based in news, social
and mass media. Among their works, IOCOSE have hijacked an exhibition
at Tate Modern, invented a spam campaign for the Italian Democratic
Party, designed a religious hi-tech product based on electric shock,
crafted an IKEA guillottine, experimented a drug made out of floppy
discs, and organized an international contest for the most valueless
video on YouTube. IOCOSE have exhibited, among many, at the Venice
Biennale (2011), Tate Modern (London, UK, 2011), Jeu de Paume (Paris,
France, 2011), FACT (Liverpool, 2011), Aksioma (Slovenia, 2008, 2009),
Shift festival (Switzerland, 2010), The Influencers (Spain, 2010).



--
IOCOSE
http://iocose.org


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