Congregation of Mysteries
About
Prophētai is at the origin of the word Prophet, "who predicts", "who anticipates". In the case of the Oracle of Delphi, the prophētai had the task to interpret the sayings of the Oracle, and sometimes even reformulating them in verses.
The algorithms present in our smartphones have become silent intruders in our homes, in our beds, witnessing every event - significant or not - in our lives. What comes back to us is information, reflections of the lives they observe. Images, words, sounds generated from the past, are intended to predict the best future for each.
In the context of Beyond Binaries, I entered into conversation with the female identities of the Torpignattara district, to generate together an algorithmic, poetic and mythological reflection on the future. We performed a "digital spell" unto our smartphones, narrating different types of futures, with the aim to infiltrate and hack the predictions made for us.
Together with the participants, we built a script of "Perfect Futures" that could help us generate new counter-narrations, in contraposition to the ones manufactured by the algorithms in our smartphones. We came together in a chorus of female voices, reclaiming agency against the futures written for us.
The laboratory took place in La Casa del Popolo, the ex-communist party location of the district, and Ostudio, an independent art space of Torpignattara.
Photo credits: Chiara Cor
The algorithmic predicitons collected during the residency by the participants