© - Hold Control by Andy Deck
© - hold Control exploits unique visual curiosities of file sharing by appropriating the graffiti-like graphics that media 'pirates' attach to their data treasure. A video projection drawn from this stream of imagery serves as a metaphor for the raging torrents of peer-to-peer file sharing, which are estimated to account for more than half of Internet traffic. A faucet knob connected to the video stream lets gallery visitors intervene, adjusting the flow in ways that recall the television age, when © - hold knobs allowed viewers to fine tune their reception of broadcasts. Today, however, computer users adjust their sets in ways that have a ripple effect throughout the world. The competing efforts by 'downloaders' and media corporations to control the sharing of data raise fundamental questions about the future use of the Internet.
