The File Room

A temporary physical installation and a permanent, expandable database in the virtual, interactive and multimedia space of the internet and the world wide web, all of it referring to censorship – and to those of an artistic or cultural order specifically –, on a world scale and ranging from historic cases to those that are more incandescently current. This project, like others before Muntadas has developed throughout his career, brings with it in its execution, evolution and maintenance a collective spirit that is open to a public and a social space of dialogue, discussion and successive contributions, having been initiated by Muntadas in close cooperation with the team from the self-run artistic center Randolph Street Gallery in Chicago, and with the support and collaboration of other organizations, collectives and individuals.
In its materialization as a multimedia and three-dimensional sculptural installation the bureaucratic atmosphere of an archive is recreated, a bit sinister and rather somber, with the walls full of file cabinet drawers that increase the darkness of the enclosure, which is lit nonetheless by the terminals and monitors that allow the consultation in situ of the compiled computer archives. Archives are accessible moreover through the internet.

(source: «Muntadas: Media Architecture Installations», anarachive number 1, Centre Georges Pompidou, 1999.)

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Mercader, A (ed.). (1998). Muntadas Proyectos. Madrid: Fundación Arte y Tecnología.

• Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, 1994
• 3e Biennale d'Art Contemporain, Lyon, 1995-96
• Muntadas: Des/Aparicions, Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, Barcelona, 1996
• Un-Frieden. Sabotage von Wirklichkeiten / Discord.

Sabotage of Realities, Kunstverein Hamburg, 1996

Otras presentaciones públicas en:

• Medienbiennale, Leipzig, 1995
• Bienal de Cascais, Cascais, 1995
• Ars Electronica, Linz, 1995

Una instalación física temporal y una base de datos permanente y ampliable en el espacio virtual, interactivo y multimedia de la red y el World Wide Web; todo ello en relación a la censura –y a las de orden artístico y cultural más concretamente–, a escala mundial y abarcando desde casos históricos hasta los de más candente actualidad.

Un proyecto que, en su ejecución, evolución y mantenimiento, comporta un espíritu colectivo y de inserción en un espacio público y social de diálogo, debate y aportaciones sucesivas, habiendo sido iniciado por Muntadas en estrecha colaboración con el equipo del centro artístico autogestionado

Randolph Street Gallery, de Chicago, y con el soporte y aportaciones de otras organizaciones, colectivos e individuos.

La instalación recrea el ambiente burocrático y grave de un archivo un tanto siniestro, con las paredes repletas de muebles archivadores que aumentan la oscuridad del recinto, iluminado en cambio por las pantallas informáticas que facilitan la consulta in situ del archivo recopilado.

El archivo es permanentemente accesible a través de Internet, mediante la siguiente dirección Web:

http://fileroom.aa.uic.edu/FILERO0M.html

A physical installation in time and a permanent, extendable database in the virtual, interactive and multimedia space of the net and the World Wide Web: all in relation to censorship – specifically artistic and cultural censorship – on a world scale, taking in historical cases and some bang up to date, still smouldering examples.

The execution, evolution and maintenance of this project involves a collective spirit set in a public and social space of dialogue, debate and successive contributions. It was initiated by Muntadas in close collaboration with the team of the self-governing art centre Randolph Street Gallery, of Chicago, and with the support and contributions of other collective and individual organisations.

The installation recreates the sombre, bureaucratic atmosphere of a somewhat sinister archive; the walls are full of filing cabinets that add to the darkness of the room, illuminated, on the other hand, by computer screens that facilitate the in situ consultation of the compiled archive.

The file is permanently accessible via Internet at the following Web address:

http://fileroom.aa.uic.edu/FILERO0M.html