Friday March 29th, 2024
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‘Log In’ To Think Outside The Social Media Box At Darb 1718

‘Log In’ exhibition, organised by cultural hub Darb1718, showcases local and international artists who use different media to tackle the issue of social media in everyday life.

Staff Writer

How many times did you bump into a street pole or an open door while checking your WhatsApp messages? Did you perhaps invite the wrath of your mother by checking your phone at the dinner table? It goes without saying that the phone, laptop, iPod, iPad, and all other gadgets have become an inseparable part of our lives. While certain apps help us find our way, order food, share our personal lives and thoughts, keep in contact with friends and family, and increase our efficiency at work, many of us don't see this dawn of technology as a very flattering phase in history; we wonder about the demolishing status and position of human life because of technology’s hijacking of our daily lives. 

This heated debate has been intensifying recently, grabbing the interest of artists from different disciplines. Darb1718 is making room for local and international artists to voice their opinions about this issue through their work here in Egypt through the Log In Exhibition, which will be ongoing till the 31st of May.The exhibition, showcasing artists working with different media, will present this debate from an artistic perspective. Brazilian photographer Mariana Pajuaba, for instance, will be shedding light on the subject through her photography, while Egyptian poet Amin Haddad will be tackling the subject through his words, and Egyptian Radwa Fouda will be working with animated GIFs to get the point across.

Darb1718 Communications Manager Nourhan Refaat tells us that “the exhibition opening was great; most of the artwork was interactive.” Refaat notes to us that the exhibition “was originally an open call through our social networks and website, themed ‘social media’.” Many artist have applied, locally as well as internationally, to the open call. “The selection of the artists was later taken on by Moataz Nasr who is an Egyptian contemporary artist as well as the founder of Darb1718,” she continues. Refaat also tells us that the artists used various media in their works, such as photography, installations, collages, and mixed media.

The question of whether technology has helped make our lives easier or taken them over, depriving us of simple human day-to-day interaction and growth, is indeed an ongoing debate – not only for academics and scholars, but on a personal level as well. And though we might not have a solid answers for this issue, we can better understand and untangle the issue by enjoying a variety of art on the topic.

For more information about the event, you can visit Darb 1718 on Facebook or Instagram.