Document:Q6925
From Rhizome Artbase
Originally commissioned by the Walker Art Center, Life Sharing was a radical gesture of self-surveillance. For three years, the artists made the contents of their home computer accessible to the public. All of the contents–including files, emails, bank statements, and so on–were available in real time to be read, copied, and downloaded. Made long before social media’s widespread influence, the work pointed towards the blurring of public and private spheres that characterize our current moment. A performance, a provocation, and a site of exchange, the project was based on the idea that “file sharing=life sharing,” suggesting that life had become inextricably enmeshed in digital culture and the network.