We have been living in a reality for some time now where the bright future is, figuratively speaking, three clicks or apps away. “Accept all cookies” and it can all be yours! “Accept all cookies” is also a mantra that initiates our daily dystopias: subconscious fears that the technologies we develop could be used against us.
Does the fact that the development of (information) technology and (new) media have made our lives more comfortable have its own (hidden) price? Can we trust these technologies? Can we trust their owners? Can we trust ourselves that we know how to behave in these rapidly changing circumstances? Can we be sure that the data collected about us will not be misused? Can we expect this data not to be sold or forcibly transferred to third parties? Will privacy remain or will it disappear from the world over time, until a certain moment arrives when it is too late?
Timo Toots (b 1982) is an artist who uses technology as a material for his interactive installations and focuses in his creative research on the complex relationship between humans and the development of (information) technology. He studied informatics at the University of Tartu, graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a degree in photography (2009) and furthered his education in media art at the Icelandic Academy of Arts and the Karlsruhe Academy of Arts. He has exhibited in individual and group exhibitions in many parts of the world. He has been awarded the main prize of Prix Ars Electronica, The Golden Nica, in the category of interactive art (2012), and the annual prize of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2012).
