ALGORITHMIC ANXIETY IN CONTEMPORARY ART: A KIERKEGAARDIAN INQUIRY INTO THE IMAGINARY OF POSSIBILITY PATRICIA DE VRIES A SERIES OF READERS PUBLISHED BY THE INSTITUTE OF NETWORK CULTURES ISSUE NO.: 33 ALGORITHMIC ANXIETY IN CONTEMPORARY ART: A KIERKEGAARDIAN INQUIRY INTO THE IMAGINARY OF POSSIBILITY PATRICIA DE VRIES 2 THEORY ON DEMAND Theory on Demand #33 Algorithmic Anxiety in Contemporary Art: A Kierkegaardian Inquiry intothe Imaginary of Possibility Author: Patricia de Vries Editing: Scott Wark Production: Sepp Eckenhaussen Cover design: Katja van Stiphout Supported by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industries. Published by the Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam, 2019 ISBN: 978-94-92302-52-6 Contact Institute of Network Cultures Phone: +3120 5951865 Email:
[email protected] Web: http://www.networkcultures.org This publication is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerrivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. This publication may be ordered through various print-on-demand-services or freely downloaded from http://www.networkcultures.org/publications. ALGORITHMINC ANXIETY IN CONTEMPORARY ART 3 4 THEORY ON DEMAND CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: FROM ALGORITHMS TO ALGORITHMIC CULTURE 6 1. FROM ALGORITHMIC CULTURE TO ALGORITHMIC ANXIETY 16 2. MASKED AND CAMOUFLAGED: THWARTING OFF FACIAL RECOGNITION ALGORITHMS, OR THE POSSIBILITY OF SELF 35 3. A SPECTER, A DIETY AND A FLOOD IN THE BLACK BOX OF FINANCE, OR THE POSSIBLE IN THE ACTUAL 57 4. WALKING IN CIRCLES IN THE SEARCH ENGINE, OR COLLECTING THE POSSIBLE 94 CONCLUSION: FROM ALGORITHMIC ANXIETY TO ALGORITHMIC POSSIBILITY, OR MOVEMENT AT THE SPOT 126 BIBLIOGRAPHY 136 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 154 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 156 ALGORITHMINC ANXIETY IN CONTEMPORARY ART 5 6 THEORY ON DEMAND INTRODUCTION: FROM ALGORITHMS TO ALGORITHMIC CULTURE For a long time, artistic engagement with algorithms was marginal in contemporary art.