Lin Ke, Robinson Crusoe, 2011. Installation View. Courtesy the artist and CFCCA.

Digital Matters: The Earth Behind the Screen

Artists: Lin Ke, MAP Office, Ellen Pau, Dani Ploeger, Unknown Fields, Yang Yongliang.

Curated by: Marianna Tsionki, Research Curator, CFCCA and University of Salford.

Whilst the world is increasingly dependent on digital technologies, the physical impact of the electronics we use daily is often ignored. The complex internal structures of a mobile phone or a PC require not only the extraction of natural resources but also thousands of unique parts to be manufactured and disposed of in a cycle of production that enables us to engage in the digital realm. However, as the scale and potentially harmful impact of these processes becomes greater we must ask ourselves what is the social and environmental cost of our consumer desires?

Digital Matters: The Earth Behind the Screen is a group exhibition exploring the relationship between the natural and the technological through artworks produced in Hong Kong and China. The participating artists attempt to interrogate the material foundations of our contemporary digital universe and its related socio-political and environmental concerns.

Exhibition dates: Friday 3 November 2017 – Sunday 4 February 2018
Venue: Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), Manchester
Gallery opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Admission: Free