Exhibition

Avgang 2023: Mariusz Maslanka

I used to have a sleep tracker app in an attempt to improve my sleep cycle. The app monitored my activity during sleep by recording sounds and movements I made. The next day, I could play back the short audio clips and see a data graph that presented my sleep phases over time. I felt safe, but listening to the audio recordings was unsettling. I was afraid to hear the footsteps of someone else walking around my apartment.

My smartphone recorded the number of my steps during the day and watched over me at night sleeping. That was something between intrusion and care. With the app on, I was generating digital traces even while my body and mind were resting. The feeling of its constant presence was however soothing.

While the software was learning my behavior and patterns, it created new ones to optimize my functionality. Eventually, the device could predict my next moves. It seemed to know about me much more than I did, like a wildlife biologist who gained an understanding of a species and the systems and patterns that make up its environment.

The project is supported by The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of The Republic of Poland.

Opening at Hulias 03.03 18.00-21.00

Opening hours:
Mon—Fri: Closed
Sat—Sun: 13:00—16:00
And by appointment: mariusmaslanka@gmail.com, 960 10 723