Terms and Conditions
Farah Sara Kurnik
V novem svetu, ki se je rodil iz kolapsa, neznana entiteta vodi uporabnika skozi kriptičen sistem, poln nerazumljivih shem, skritih namigov in manipulativnih napotkov. Prezenca, ki te nagovarja, te poskuša prepričati, da je vse v najlepšem redu, da si sam odgovoren za svojo usodo in da lahko spremeniš trenutno situacijo, če boš le sledil destim zapovedim za integracijo v nedefiniran sistem, v novo vzporedno življenje.

Delo predstavlja nadaljevanje umetničinih preteklih projektov Render Pending in Cryptogram, ki skozi vizualne kategorizacije, shematične preplete in abstrahirane diagrame raziskujejo vlogo posameznika v neoliberalnem sistemu. Z vpeljevanjem spekulativnega pristopa ustvarja skrivnostne, dekodirane sisteme, kjer uporabnik sam poskuša razvozlati vedno bolj zreducirane konfiguracije in se prebiti do končnega zaključka. A vprašanje ostaja: se uporabnik res lahko reši ali pa je možnost izbire le navidezna? Lahko dosežemo zaključek ali smo ujeti v neskončni zanki?

Umetnica občutke ujetosti v brezizhodnem sistemu prenaša v izkušnjo sodobnega digitalnega uporabnika, ki verjame, da se bo stanje kaotične nemoči in stalnega konzumiranja novic, vsebin ter dražljajev na neki točki končno le umirilo. Navodila, ki jih prejemaš v delu Terms and Conditions, zvenijo kot mantre industrije samopomoči: »don't try to fix everything,« »build a new normal,« »the shift rarely comes back to someone who is just sitting around waiting.« Kljub navidezno pomirjujočemu tonu, delo s svojo hladnostjo in oddaljenostjo ustvarja neprijeten občutek nadzora, ki ga pogosto občutimo v algoritemsko vodenem svetu. Hitro se izkaže, da so te obljube past: sistem nam prodaja iluzijo izbire, vse je na voljo, a nič ni resnično dosegljivo. Občutek avtonomije je zgolj simulacija, vsak poskus pobega pa vodi v novo past.

Farah Sara Kurnik (2000) je vizualna umetnica, ki ustvarja na področju grafičnega in industrijskega oblikovanja, scenografije, videa in novih tehnologij. Trenutno študira na Naravoslovnotehniški fakulteti, smer Grafična in medijska tehnika. Sodelovala je na različnih razstavah ter oblikovala mnogo grafičnih podob aktualnih slovenskih in tujih glasbenikov in glasbenih dogodkov, znotraj katerih je pogosto prevzela tudi vlogo VJ-ke. Je članica ljubljanskega kolektiva Nimaš izbire.
(ENG)
The work represents a continuation of the artist’s previous projects, Render Pending and Cryptogram, which explore the role of the individual in the neoliberal system through visual categorizations, schematic interweavings, and abstract diagrams. By adopting a speculative approach, she creates enigmatic, decoded systems in which the user attempts to unravel increasingly abstract configurations and reach a final conclusion.  But the questions remain: Can the user truly escape, or is the idea of choice just an illusion? Can we find a solution, or are we stuck in an endless loop?

The artist translates the feeling of being trapped in a hopeless system into the experience of the contemporary digital user, who believes that this state of chaotic helplessness and constant consumption of news, content, and stimuli will eventually subside at some point. The instructions you receive in the work Terms and Conditions sound like mantras from the self-help industry: “don’t try to fix everything,” “build a new normal,” “the shift rarely comes back to someone who is just sitting around waiting.” Despite its seemingly soothing tone, the work, with its coldness and detachment, creates an uncomfortable sense of control that we often feel in an algorithm-driven world. It quickly becomes clear that these promises are a trap: the system sells us the illusion of choice – everything is available, yet nothing is truly attainable. The sense of autonomy is merely a simulation, and every attempt to escape leads to a new trap.

Farah Sara Kurnik (2000) works in the fields of graphic and industrial design, scenography, video and new technologies. She is currently studying Graphic and Media Technology at the Faculty of Science and Technology. She participated in many exhibitions, as well as designed many graphic images for contemporary Slovenian and foreign musicians, and musical events, within which she often takes on the role of a VJ. She is a member of the Ljubljana-based collective Nimaš izbire.