Talk
Book Launch: Autonomy Cube by Trevor Paglen & Jacob Appelbaum
With Jacob Appelbaum, Keller Easterling, Edit Molnár and Marcel Schwierin
Autonomy Cube is a sculpture by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum that was on display in the Edith-Russ-Haus in Oldenburg between October 2015 and January 2016. In the work a group of internet-connected computers creates an open wireless hotspot called “Autonomy Cube” wherever they are installed.
The network routes all wireless traffic through Tor, a global network of thousands of volunteer-run servers, relays, and services designed to help anonymize data. In addition, Autonomy Cube is itself a Tor relay, and can be used by others around the world. The future of the struggle to win the internet back and the complex ways in which art can join this discourse are thematized by the Autonomy Cube and its related publication.