Editors: Mario de Vega, Victor Mazon Gardoqui, Daniela Silvestrin
Published by 17, and ñ
Mexico City & Berlin, 2016
Editorial design & production by Dicey Studios (Martin Müller)
352 pp, English & Spanish. With contributions by David L. Altheide, Teresa Dillon, Uwe Krüger, Timothy Morton, Daniela Silvestrin.
LIMEN takes the spectrum of human-made radio waves and the seeming stability of our contemporary societies dependent on instant communication as an area of exploration and exposes the zones of manufactured ignorance in techno-scientific developments.
Building a dialogue with the artistic research by Mario de Vega and Victor Mazon that explores and critically addresses this sphere otherwise not accessible to human senses, the publication brings together a series of contributions and collaborations that address different aspects of the proliferation of electromagnetic signals produced by wireless telecommunication and other devices based on microwave technologies. The focus thereby lies on the discussion of their impact on human interaction as well as their implications for social and emotional exchange, their interaction with living systems within different ecologies, and biopolitical implications of governmental control over their use.
The publication is part of an on-going long-term project of hybrid nature. The research includes publications, wireless transmission, interruption and reception of information, the design and production of custom-made electronic devices based on inverse engineering techniques, seminars, printed material, public space interventions, and an Internet platform that compiles and displays information about the contemporary radio wave sphere.
A limited edition of this publication includes an electronic device integrated into a special book cover, capable of intercepting high frequency radio-wave activity produced by wireless ICT appliances, translating it into an audio signal perceivable by humans. This outcome is based on the application of inverse engineering methodologies that log the frequency range of electric signals emitted by security cameras, mobile phones, cordless phones, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and other devices based on microwave and radar technology.
The project was funded by The National Council for the Arts of Mexico (FONCA) and PAIM / CENART, Mexico.
Contributed by
Mario de Vega