#AccordingToTheInternet: INTERNET IMPERIALISM: “Bow New Hampshire”
@gretchenAndrew & @18thstreetarts
INTERNET IMPERIALISM the intentional structuring of information to dominate the online definition or reputation of a person, place or idea. Through it artist Gretchen Andrew manipulates search results, swapping existing results for her paintings. This infliction of her personal work and subjects on universally returned search results is a warning against our trust in the internet’s authority while also moving the internet to be less product focused.
WHILE IN RESIDENCY at 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica Gretchen Andrew created new paintings about her experience of Bow, New Hampshire, growing up there and visiting as an adult. Through Internet Imperialism these paintings are coming to replace the stale and impersonal real estate listings that once represented it.
SEARCH ENGINE ARTIST MANIPULATES THE INTERNET TO REFLECT HER PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
Prior to December 2017 #accordingToTheInternet Bow, New Hampshire was a quaint town with landmarks such as a bandstand and community building. It’s search results are now being replaced with
paintings of crowded interiors, jumbled neighborhoods, and pervasive images of a red VW Jetta.
The Internet Imperialist responsible is artist Gretchen Andrew, a london-based artist who grew up in the town she is coming to dominate. Internet Imperialism is Andrew’s method of hacking search results to become flooded by her paintings. She does this through intentional structuring of information in a way prefered by search engines such as Google.
The manipulated search results provoke questions about the authority we give the internet and who has the tools and understanding to participate. “Knowing how to organize information is a weapon we are seeing deployed a lot recently. I wanted to inject my personal memories and perspective onto the town as a way to call attention to how this is done for much more sinister purposes.”
Celebration & Artist Talk
Tuesday January 22nd
18th Street Art Center
1629 18th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
4:00 – 7:00PM (5:45 artist talk)
Installation open to the public
January 8th – 28th
18th Street Art Center
1629 18th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Monday – Friday, 11:00 – 5:00PM & by appointment
Gretchen Andrew (born in California, 1988) is a Search Engine Artist and Internet Imperialist whose HOW TO HOW TO HOW TO & #accordingToTheInternet projects look at the internet as a tenuous form of authority that can be used to understand, manipulate, and imperialize definitions. Her search-based practice is accompanied by a painting practice that is used as an image source for her related Internal Imperialism. She has completed projects or exhibitions with The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, The V&A Museum, The Photographer’s Gallery, The British Film Institute, Cambridge University, Arebyte, The British Arts Council, The White Building, Ace Hotel, The London Film School, and Whitcher Projects. She works in London with the artist Billy Childish.
