Fragment Cloud engages with the theme of centralisation and decentralisation, performed through the digital reconstruction and dispersal of a destroyed Stalin statue. This symbol of centralised power was built in 1951, and during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, it was torn down and broken into fragments which were dispersed across the city.
There are three points of performance in Fragment Cloud which interact with this historical moment in time. László performs the role of the sculptor who created this commissioned monument during a turbulent political climate.
The statue is digitally sculpted using photographic documentation from online archives to accurately render the monument in terms of scale and material. Secondly, performing the role of the revolutionary crowd, he recreates the damage and graffiti accrued to the monument after it was torn down and the carcass was used as a canvas for political messages. Thirdly, he stages the decentralisation of the digital monument by tearing it down, breaking it into pieces and with audience interactivity, dispersing its digital fragments across the internet.
The viewer is invited to request and acquire a digital fragment of the statue. Through this interactivity, the video work is created live. With each fragment removed, a new recording is made, effectively documenting the online dispersion of the monument. By acquiring a piece the viewer agrees to share their location on Google maps for the duration of the work, displaying the dispersed fragments and exposing a different version of information control. The work raises questions about the use of our personal data and the flow and control of information in our digital age.
To acquire a digital fragment of the statue contact
