Dark Mofo exhibition in Hobart: Mines; from the mind of Simon Denny

An unnervingly vibrant dystopia opened on the eve of the madness that is Dark MOFO 2019. Curated by Jarrod Rawling and Emma Pike and taking two and half years from conception to exhibition, Mines will leave you feeling helpless. In the bowels of MONA is a colourful sign, “Mines”. Fittingly its physical location is buried beneath the earth.  But this is less about our traditional mineral past and more about the collection and manipulation of what we may see as intangible. Data. Our data. Metric monitoring of our behaviours and patterns. Allowing corporate entities to manipulate what we love, what we hate, what we must have. Using the bones of the classic boardgame, Squatter, Denny has amended its gameplay and thematics to reflect our era, our data.  Denny lulls us with space. He gives us room to move and the freedom to interact. With intelligent use of “The O”, augmented reality, designed by the MONA boffins, we are able to see how our interactions with the exhibit are collated and displayed real time. This speaks to the reality of our digital presence being commoditised and with the information space changing around us thanks to surveillance capitalism, one thing is clear, we are the resource. Come and see. Don’t be helpless, all alone. Mines is open until the 13th April 2020. Remember to download “The O”, from the iTunes App Store before you arrive, or collect a device from the lovely crew at MONA. Entry is $28, $25 concession, Tasmanians and under 18s get in for free.