“Decompressed Prism” is a new step in Salvatore Vitale’s artistic reflection on technology. The artist continues the experimental approach of this installation, initially conceived in a physical space, the Palazzo Santa Margherita in Milan, by investing ORBIT_E, the digital exhibition space that the MBAL launched in 2022. Here he created an original and interactive work that echoes the initial installation.

In the digital space, “Decompressed Prism” takes the form of a non-linear narrative situated at the crossroads of philosophy and technology, in which the artist endeavours to fragment and then reassemble the initial storyline into several chapters. Conceived as an experience for the visitor, the work evolves in a playful space and touches on subjects of reflection important to the artist, such as conscientization, empathy, social realism, space and body. Divided into four parts, each offering in a distinct digital space, a specific theme and an interactive experience of its own, Salvatore Vitale’s work combines fictional and documentary elements, video archives, text, sound designs and real data.

“Decompressed Prism” reveals the paradoxes behind the systemic logic of ubiquitous surveillance through automated security tools. Exploring different uses of control technologies in Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Italy, the artist questions how these technologies shape our relationship to the world and to ourselves as human beings. Indeed, Salvatore Vitale explores the notion of the body evolving between digitalisation and reality, and the transformation of the latter into a product controlled by technology. Drawing on contemporary philosophical and sociological texts, the artist imagines a different reality in which the visitor is invited to question the possibility of counter-narratives. The work also demonstrates the disturbing normalisation of security and rhizomatic surveillance, which should rather give rise to a sense of concern about its impact on human behaviour.

Born in Palermo, Italy, Salvatore Vitale (1986) lives and works in Zurich. For several years, he has been interested in the development and complexity of modern societies. As a visual artist, editor and teacher, his work includes multiple forms of expression : from photography to video, to writing and exhibition design. He is an award-winning artist, lecturer in the Transmedia Storytelling programme at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and co-founder of the international magazine YET. His work is regularly exhibited in Switzerland and abroad, including Holland, Germany, Slovenia and Japan.

www.mbal.ch/orbite-offline/salvatore-vitale/