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2011
WikiLeaks Scarf, 2011
2013MoMA PS1
Islands in the Cloud, exhibition view, MoMA PS1, New York, 2013
DESPJ1E 1\O RECEN1 cxhibi!
tion vojccts at vcncvablc Ncw Yovl
institutions, MoMA PS1 anu Avtists
Sacc, thc constitucnts of Mctahavcn
avc vcluctant to consiucv thcnsclvcs
avti sts. Rathcv, thc col l abovati vc,
founucu by Danicl van ucv Vclucn anu
Vinca Kvul, vcgavus itsclf as a ucsign
stuuio sccializing in vcscavch-bascu
cvitical ucsign.' Mctahavcn vouuccs
contcnt in a bcvy of fovnats, to incluuc
invcstigativc tcxts, ublic lcctuvcs,
bvanu iucntitics fov clicnts (connis!
sioncu ov not), ublishing vojccts, cx!
hibitions in gallcvics anu institutions,
anu so on. \hat bvings this vacticc
togcthcv, as natcvially uiscuvsivc as it
nay bc, is thciv cvscctivc that thc
Jntcvnct is a soncwhat oaquc, volatilc
olitical sacc, anu that gvahic ucsign
is a otcnt olitical tool aiuing in thc
cxlication of olitical ositions. Onc
can bcgin to unucvstanu Mctahavcn
as a consciousncss-vaising vojcct that
vinavily wovls thvough thc acsthctic
vhctovic of gvahic ucsign.
1hc nanc of thc stuuio, itsclf uat!
ing bacl to 2006, scavatcs into thc
wovus ncta' anu havcn.' Mcta' is
a slicvy Gvccl wovu oftcn associatcu
with nctahysics, thc bvanch of hi!
losohy scculating on thc fvst causcs
of things, though its novc connon
English alication sinly suggcsts
sclf-vcfcvcncc, ov thc aboutncss' of
a thing in its own catcgovy. Onc can
ucuucc that havcn' vcfcvs to thc uata
havcn, a lcgally sanctioncu cnvivon!
ncnt voviuing vcfugc fov unvcgulatcu
uata. 1hc tcvvitovialization of uata anu
sccifically thc olitical vanifications
of clouu'-bascu uata bcing stovcu on
govcvnncnt-vcgulatcu \nitcu Statcs
scvvcvs has long bccn a vcscavch toic
fov Mctahavcn. 1o bving togcthcv
ncta' anu havcn' suggcsts thc con!
tcxtualization anu connunication
(ncta) of iucas suvvounuing thc o!
liticization of tcvvitovialization of uata
(havcn), sccifically thvough gvahic
ucsign anu vcscavch-bascu vacticcs.
Mctahavcn's fivst vojcct, thc
stvuctuvc of which canc to ucfnc thciv
vacticc fov thc subscqucnt uccauc,
was a bvanu iucntity voosal fov thc
Pvinciality of Scalanu. 1his nicvona!
tion locatcu off thc coast of Suffoll,
Englanu in thc Novth Sca bcgan as a
Bvitish-vun anti-aivcvaft sca fovt uuv!
ing \ovlu \av JJ. Jn 1967, thc fovt
canc unucv thc contvol of Englishnan
Pauuy Roy Batcs, who wvotc a consti!
tution fov thc nation anu ucclavcu its
sovcvcignty in 197b. Ivon 2000-200S,
Scalanu hostcu HavcnCo Iinitcu, a
uata havcn with voniscs of hysical
anu govcvnncntal autonony-thc na!
tion was not a ncnbcv of thc \1O
anu was thus cxcnt fvon cxisting
tvauc anu coyvight laws-yct intcvnal
olitics anu thc ccccntvic bchaviov of
Batcs sccncu to linit thc cntcvvisc's
otcntial succcss. 1aling this histovical
bli as fouucv, Mctahavcn ucvclocu
thc Scalanu Jucntity Pvojcct, ucsign!
ing cuvvcncy, ostagc stans, flags,
anu nas fov thc nation. Mcthavcn's
Scalanu logo, cqual avts cvcctivc
anu funny, tool thc shac of a !" syn!
bol. 1hc synbol acavs sinilav to thc
stvuctuvc of thc fovt that conviscs
Scalanu itsclf. (Jt is basically a lavgc,
vcctangulav nctal latfovn ato two
civculav concvctc illavs lunging into
thc occan.) 1his shac also acavs in
Mctahavcn's logo, which is cqual avts
scviffcu M' anu !" synbol.
1hc Scalanu Jucntity Pvojcct falls
unucv what Mctahavcn calls sccula!
tivc ucsign.' As in nany of Mctahavcn's
subscqucnt vojccts, Scalanu's iucn!
tity anu its constitucnt vouucts wcvc
ncvcv actually uscu. Sonc wovl that
wc uo is voto-functional in thc scnsc
that thcy'vc iucas that avc looling fov
an alication, iucas that avc scavching
fov thciv way into thc wovlu,' says van
ucv Vclucn. 1his systcn-to cvcatc sclf-
uivcctcu vouucts fov a clicnt without
an actual connission agvccncnt, only
hoing that thcy will bc uscu in thc
futuvc-vcvcscnts a wovling ncthou
lcss connon in thc ucsign wovlu, anu
novc connon in thc avt wovlu. Duc to
thc ability to scvvc thc stuuio's own cvc!
ativc inulscs, vathcv than thosc of thc
clicnt, this scculativc avoach sccns
intvinsically vclatcu to an avtistic nouus
ocvanui.
Sinilavly, Mctahavcn itchcu a
vcucsign vojcct to ]ulian Assangc
of \iliIcals in ]unc 2010, which
vontcu a long-tcvn (but sccningly
hanus-off) vclationshi bctwccn thc uc!
sign stuuio anu thc watchuog ovganiza!
tion. \hilc Mctahavcn initially itchcu
a vcucsign of thc \iliIcals logo,
Assangc anu his conanions uiu not
fccl thc nccu to changc it. (Jn a fcat of
invcssivc uctcctivc wovl, Mctahavcn
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u anu uislaycu as colunns. 1hciv
#$%&"$'( )*+,-$. (2012-201), also fvon
thc \iliIcals vojcct, unuulatcu on a
lywoou gviu aujaccnt to a wall-sizcu
infogvahic titlcu /.0+12.("1(34$(506&2(7/18
96:,+!4"*; (201). Viucos installcu on thc
oov, svay-aintcu tvcc vings, anu wall-
nountcu infogvahics on light boxcs
uottcu thc voon. Jtsclf titlcu Jslanus in
thc Clouu,' thc cxhibition uocs acav
to obcy an avtistic nouus ocvanui, at
lcast in stvuctuvc: \hilc scultuvc anu
viuco avc inhcvcntly avtistic ncuiuns,
thc infogvahic coulu bc avt histovically
lilcncu to thc chavts of Iluxus luninavy
Gcovgc Maciunas ov thc nas of Aucl!
hciu Mcvs. 1cllingly, thc cxhibition cnus
with Mctahavcn's 5+!3"-$.( 69( 34$( 506&2,
a two-avt tonc on thc lcgal inlica!
tions of thc gcogvahical location of
clouu scvvcvs ublishcu in HX[MRXUQDO,
uislaycu on a shclf boltcu to thc wall.
1hc inclusion of thcsc cssays suggcsts
a libcvalization of thc ucfnition of both
thc ucsigncv anu thc avtist, voffcving
that Mctahavcn's vacticc bcgins anu
cnus with thc vouuction of lnowlcugc.
Subscqucnt ublishing vojccts, such as
thciv vcccntly vclcascu c-bool 5+1(<6=$.(
>,"1:( ?6@1( A6-$,1'$13. anu thciv bool
B6"2( CD.3"%&$( ?EF, ublishcu in col!
labovation with thc Ionuon-bascu, sclf-
ucscvibcu lcftist voaganua nachinc'
Dctcvvitovial Suovt Gvou, stylisti!
cally challcngc anu nclu cultuval cviti!
cisn anu invcstigativc jouvnalisn with a
shav scnsc of hunov.
Mctahavcn's insistcncc that in!
agcs avc a connunicativc tool with
a fav-vcaching olitical inact is a
wclconc vcjoinucv to thc function of
contcnovavy avt as it lavgcly cxists
touay, which is to say, as luxuvy ob!
jccts in thc scvvicc of thc cxcccuingly
wcalthy. Yct thc stuuio naintains a
hcalthy slcticisn towavu thc olitical
viability of ucsign. Jn gvahic ucsign
thcvc's no such thing anynovc as an
cxlicitly olitical ncssagc,' van ucv
Vclucn aunits. Evcvy ncssagc is fl!
tcvcu thvough cnulcss filtcvs of fonts
anu softwavc, anu all thc cononcnts
avc ucfincu by caitalist stvuctuvcs.
1hcvc avc ways to wovl thvough this.
Cvitical wovl nust scal thvough
thcsc laycvs.'

19c/
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founu thc ucsigncv of thc oviginal logo,

an olu fvicnu of Assangc lavgcly unaffli!
atcu with \iliIcals, anu intcvvicwcu
hcv about thc logo's ucsign voccss.)
Rathcv, \iliIcals vcquivcu vouucts to
bc solu fov funuvaising uvoscs. At As!
sangc's vcqucst, Mctahavcn vouuccu
thc c-conncvcc ucfault vouucts-t-
shivts anu nugs-in auuition to a scvics
of scavvcs. 1hc stuuio tool intcvcst in
anu sought to natcvially vclicatc thc
uual functionality of \iliIcals: thc
ovganization vcnucvs tvansavcnt clas!
sificu infovnation of ublic intcvcst
whilc it ocvatcs unucv a cloal of oac!
ity in ovucv to guavantcc its continucu
functionality. 1hc scvics of scavvcs,
thcnsclvcs sinultancously tvansavcnt
anu oaquc, conbinc thc vc-cxisting
\iliIcals logo with inagcs of Assangc,
canouflagc gvahics, anu tcxt such as
]\RJSDJC1JON EVERY\HERE.'
1hcy havc bccn solu thvough cBay anu
in cxhibition anu ucsign contcxts such
as thc Gwangju Dcsign Bicnnalc (2011),
MoMA PS1 (201), anu Avtists Sacc
(201). \hcn shown in hysical sacc,
thc scavvcs avc tyically hung fvon a
wall of chain-linl fcncc, thc stvuctuvc
vccalling a Canal Stvcct falc cxovt
sho with a touch of Guantanano,' to
usc van ucv Vclucn's tcvns. Mctahavcn
has subscqucntly cvcatcu infogvahics
anu ostcvs vclatcu to \iliIcals. 1hciv
infogvahic ostcv Axis of Rcutation'
(2011), vclcascu thvough thc Vancouvcv-
bascu ublication G"00"!, chavts thc soft
owcv vclations bctwccn \iliIcals, its
jouvnalistic, govcvnncntal, anu NGO-
bascu suovtcvs, anu its auvcvsavics.
1hc cxhibition at MoMA PS1
voviucu an ovcvvicw of thc stuuio's
cffovts, vanging fvon thciv Scalanu
vojcct (taling thc fovn of a coy of
Dclcuzc anu Guattavi's F( H46&.+12( I0+8
3$+&.(cvchcu ato two cans of Pvinglcs,
hotocoics of covvcsonucncc with
thc Batcs fanily, anu a viuco), as wcll
as thciv wovl involving \iliIcals, thc
shovt-livcu Euvocan scavch cnginc
Quacvo, anu a ncw vojcct with thc
Jcclanu-bascu Jntcvnational Moucvn
Mcuia Jnstitutc (JMMJ). 1hc stuuio's
\iliIcals ostcvs, titlcu #+2"*+0( H,+1.8
!+,$1*D( I6.3$,.( 7J"!!$2; (2011-201),
wcvc vaviably hung on thc wall ov vollcu
2011T
Collateral Murder, WikiLeaks T-Shirt, 2011

2004
Mainport to Imagination;
Black Hole, proposals for
a Sealand advertisement
campaign, 2004