Meletē

Dylan Batty

Opening 07.02.18 6-8pm
Artist Talks 1.03.18 6-7pm

The three muses: Aoide, Mneme, and Meletē were the personification of Voice and Song, Memory, and Meditation and Thought, forming the complete picture of the preconditions of poetic art in cult practice. This show, Meletē, (which google translates literally to Study) will examine labor through the lens of the post internet context, making use of the lessons and tools given to us by history, and more importantly, the internet.

The screen has become a place of open contemplation, and whether its a google search or twitter post, we often rely on the internet as a prosthesis of thought and contemplation. Taking components of film and utilitarian construction, the show presents ideas of productive labour, shrouded from the viewer and softened, examining the emotional toll of interpersonal interaction. Through the incorporation of the formal elements of the screen into work and curatorial practice, we can acknowledge the hierarchies and systems by which the internet excludes groups through language barriers, geography and education.

The show addresses the inherent drive for productive labour on the internet, taking steps away from the multitasking/multi-tab screen into more contemplative and focused actions. This isn’t to deny the influence or importance of the internet as a tool for learning and communication, but to question the ways in which we rely on the saturation and ubiquity of screens in both labour and intimacy.

In response to Gene McHughs question “Does one use the internet with intention?”, i propose that instead we ask “How does one use the internet with intention?”