Monika Pocrnjić (SI)

Case Study: Survival Kit for Multiculturalism (P.K.M.)
2016 – ongoing
installation

P.K.M consists of D.I.Y. mobile objects and experimental practices, which were created in the process of exploring light as an artistic and communication medium. The kit comprises objects for everyday use, a set of black boxes and a scrap toy, all manipulated into technically innovative objects that were designed by the artist in collaboration with experts. The objects enable interaction with the visitors, setting up situations for alternative ways of observing and manipulating the use of various sources of light (the cell phone flashlight, the sun, etc.).
»Resist«
https://cipke.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/upri_se-zvocilo/
Audioholic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjRwNqy4vso&list=FLl1ya4wslFHb5-2uMlZTzUQ

Wish You Weren't Here
2016
interactive site-specific installation

Technique: interactive site-specific installation, Ip camera, a computer with open code software Processing Processing, Arduino, SplitCam, ONVIF device manager, RTSP, stereo speakers, LCD screen, laser, sensor, electronics

Prompted by recent events related to migrants, terrorist attacks, the general media delusion and the overall reign of fear – which is mostly "hollow on the inside, and empty on the outside", the authors have designed a site-specific interactive installation titled "Wish You Weren't Here", which re-questions the topical issue of the position of subject inside an artificially created world of information blown out of proportion by the media, and the false sense of security, which control the beliefs of people today.
With this in mind, our main focus was to call the attention to the fact that the perception of the subject can be influenced directly, and that their senses can be stimulated by means of technology even when they least expect it – in the safety of an art gallery. The work is designed so that it leads the visitor through a dark, narrow space to a specially positioned monitor, which shows the live image taken by a wireless camera located behind the visitor's back.
The "broken windows theory" states that the presence of video surveillance reduces the fear of crime, however, it is just another example of a "safety drama", i.e. a measure, which at best results in an increased feeling of safety, but does nothing to improve the safety as such. The money used for purchasing and maintaining such CCTV systems would perhaps be spent more efficiently for better street lighting, or for raising the number of trained staff.
The project not only touches upon the themes of power, control, and intimacy issues, but is also a research into the connection between people and impersonal systems. In the age of wireless telecommunication systems and the constant flow of information, remote surveillance has become an integral part of most of relations. All visitors become potential observers.

Monika Pocrnjić (1987) spent a great part of her childhood and youth in her grandfather's woodworking workshop, and in the wild of the local Pohorje Hills. After finishing secondary school in Ruše she studied Art Education in Maribor, during which time she already began to show her interest in D.I.Y. culture and homemade electronic art. In 2010, she became actively involved in communities and collectives processing used or old electrical and electronic equipment, and began constructing electronic circuits on her own. During this time, occasional collaborations with Kibla, Sonda Foundation, SGMK, RAMPA, Čipke, etc. have allowed her to obtain basic knowledge about simple electronic instruments and microcontroller programming. She is interested in artistic experimental electronics and workshops. Festivals: Kiblix, Mfru, Elektron, Ars Electronica, PixelPoint, HomeMade (SGMK).