Slocum, Bewersdorf at Okay Mountain

Photos of an exhibition by Paul Slocum and Kevin Bewersdorf in Austin, TX. Reification of the internet is a big theme (i.e. taking something "virtual" and making it into a tangible object), as well as celebrating/critiquing trash media such as chiropractor TV ads, theme park architecture, and corporate promotions. Imagine taking the concerns of the Nasty Nets website, where Slocum is a member* (surfing, making fun of low rent graphics), and translating them into a physical environment. The point is not commodification, although that surely factors in, but creating a neutral zone where you can walk around an object or imagine touching it when its only previous life was passing rapidly through your screen. Also included is performative-type work suggested by everyday Internet interaction, such as Bewersdorf's use of the Walgreens digital photo center to have Google-found images printed on pillows and coasters. Or the crystal clock they ordered online to commemorate the exhibition. The show isn't all static objects; it also features video such as Slocum's Time Lapse Home Page, consisting of hundreds of screen captures of a web page changing over time played at hyperfrenetic speed.

*also me, struggling for objectivity as usual