Password: a curse or a blessing

introduction
Pauline comes from the pre-internet era and she is strongly aware of the effects that the use of the internet has on our freedom, security and identity. She wonders, is it a blessing: unlimited acquisition of knowledge, arranging formalities or making purchases? Or is it a curse: being determined by coercion, complexity or vulnerability.

The necessary development of digital passwords justifies her mixed feelings. Her first password(s) were simple and close to her, e.g. her son's name or his date of birth. Easy to remember. But boundaries are shifting; To use the internet safely, increasingly longer and more complicated passwords are required, double authentication, but also the application of biometrics. She no longer experiences her activities on the internet as risk-free.

In this project Password; a curse or a blessing? she depicts that ambivalence by literally making herself extremely vulnerable.
 

The following sub-projects are the results:
1.     Photo works, 'Password; a Curse or a Blessing?'' 
2.    Jacquard tapestry 'Oops, Mistake' collab Textiles Zentrum Haslach
3.    Jacquard tapestry 'Digital Twins' collab Textiles Zentrum Haslach 
4.    Jacquard tapestry 'My future – Pixelation?' collab EE Exclusive Label 
5.    Tunica, my Firewall:
A     Textile object, 'Tunica; my Firewall' collab TextielLab Tilburg
B     Photoworks 'Tunica; my Firewall' on location Dat Bolwerck Zutphen
C     Photoworks 'Tunica; my Firewall'  location Sint Walburgiskerk Zutphen
 

'It is not so much the machine itself that we should see as our enemy, but the values that stick to that machine and from there also impose on ourselves, such as perfection, speed and productivity' - Mirjam Deckers (art historian and researcher at the University of Groningen after Gunta Stötzl).

And it should be noted that Pauline does use the Internet, software and machines. These applications are essential to research her topic.

Photography: Ivonne Zijp
Header Design of this page: Koen Staz