corruption: byte by byte
2022, Light installation
Used media:
8 LED sticks, 8.1 channel sound, data decaying algorithm.
Size:
230х439х250cm
Physical light installation
VR / video version
Description:
Thinking about the current state of the Russian repressive regime there were several interrelated processes that were insensibly leading to this point: corruption, censorship, and repressions. It is important to reflect on this gradual change from a time-stretch perspective.

The work is based on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) dataset of banking data leaks given to journalists, exposing shady patterns of offshore capital ownership. The dataset consists of the Panama papers, Paradise papers, Pandora papers, Bahama papers, and Offshore leaks data.
The data connected to Russian offshore stakeholders are read byte by byte, with the size of each byte affecting the light flashes' brightness and sound characteristics. The state of eight bits of each byte are represented via eight LED sticks and 8.1 channel sound.

Each reading cycle corrupts the information until the files are completely erased. Information about corruption decomposes itself in time as if it was corrupted from the inside. The information acts as a generative score, which changes during execution. On the one hand, this mechanic reflects the repressive mechanism of censorship aimed at independent investigative journalism. On the other, it ironically plays on the broader English meaning of the word "corruption", which can refer both to the fact of financial corruption as well as spoilage, decay, decomposition of objects.