A Short History of Alarms II
Exhibition Opening

A Short History of Alarms II:

Andreea Anghel

Mixed media installation, 2025

The premise of the installation, 'A Short History of Alarms II', is that AI is arriving as a great equaliser when it comes to the concept of work — with many already losing work (and sleep) to something which is trumpeted as a solution to humanity's problems. Imagine we take a nostalgic look back at the timeline of work and its intrinsic, irreplaceable humanity, in an attempt to find a way forward.

Corporate postcapitalism appears to be fertile ground for an idea that was ironically spearheaded at the dawn of the computer age as a utopian force for good. Today, however, the fruits of one's labour are diminished day in, day out in the promised land of trickle-down economics.

We begin with primitive bipeds working together to secure food and settle down to build the first agrarian societies. The invention of reading and writing begat the process of documenting cognitive and emotional labour. We then move on to the Industrial Revolution and the inception of Keynesian economic concepts of labour, which were in opposition to Marxist ideology. Finally, we arrive at today's conundrum, where computers, which were once considered our companions, have suddenly become a possible means to an end.

The installation also functions as a small shrine where people can come to light a candle in mourning. As communities tend to come together to commemorate the transition of life to death, Anghel aims to provide a space where people can gather and share their grief, regrets and perhaps even hope for a better future.

Created for the 13th edition of the Sopot by the Book festival, the installation is part of the Goyki 3 Art Inkubator visual arts programme, which in 2025 is dedicated to exploring work in its social, economic, cultural, and geographical contexts.