WEBVTT 00:00:00.999 --> 00:00:04.341 A year ago, we were invited by the Swiss Embassy in Berlin 00:00:04.365 --> 00:00:06.388 to present our art projects. 00:00:06.999 --> 00:00:11.133 We are used to invitations, but this invitation really thrilled us. 00:00:11.586 --> 00:00:14.427 The Swiss Embassy in Berlin is special. 00:00:14.451 --> 00:00:17.419 It is the only old building in the government district 00:00:17.443 --> 00:00:20.399 that was not destroyed during the Second World War, 00:00:20.423 --> 00:00:23.191 and it sits right next to the Federal Chancellery. 00:00:23.723 --> 00:00:27.839 No one is closer to Chancellor Merkel than the Swiss diplomats. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:27.863 --> 00:00:29.839 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:30.656 --> 00:00:34.475 The government district in Berlin also contains the Reichstag -- 00:00:34.499 --> 00:00:37.310 Germany's parliament -- and the Brandenburg Gate, 00:00:37.334 --> 00:00:40.275 and right next to the gate there are other embassies, 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:43.696 in particular the US and the British Embassy. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:44.657 --> 00:00:47.873 Although Germany is an advanced democracy, 00:00:47.897 --> 00:00:50.858 citizens are limited in their constitutional rights 00:00:50.882 --> 00:00:52.275 in its government district. 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:56.686 The right of assembly and the right to demonstrate are restricted there. 00:00:57.607 --> 00:01:01.275 And this is interesting from an artistic point of view. 00:01:01.299 --> 00:01:06.011 The opportunities to exercise participation and to express oneself 00:01:06.035 --> 00:01:08.275 are always bound to a certain order 00:01:08.299 --> 00:01:11.774 and always subject to a specific regulation. 00:01:11.798 --> 00:01:16.557 With an awareness of the dependencies of these regulations, 00:01:16.581 --> 00:01:19.275 we can gain a new perspective. 00:01:19.299 --> 00:01:23.953 The given terms and conditions shape our perception, our actions 00:01:23.977 --> 00:01:25.564 and our lives. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:26.168 --> 00:01:29.275 And this is crucial in another context. 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:30.777 Over the last couple of years, 00:01:30.801 --> 00:01:35.275 we learned that from the roofs of the US and the British Embassy, 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:40.036 the secret services have been listening to the entire district, 00:01:40.060 --> 00:01:42.756 including the mobile phone of Angela Merkel. 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:48.275 The antennas of the British GCHQ are hidden in a white cylindrical radome, 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:51.316 while the listening post of the American NSA 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:54.299 is covered by radio transparent screens. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:55.342 --> 00:01:58.275 But how to address these hidden and disguised forces? 00:01:58.903 --> 00:02:01.275 With my colleague, Christoph Wachter, 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:03.902 we accepted the invitation of the Swiss Embassy. 00:02:04.783 --> 00:02:08.886 And we used this opportunity to exploit the specific situation. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:10.508 --> 00:02:13.650 If people are spying on us, it stands to reason 00:02:13.674 --> 00:02:16.275 that they have to listen to what we are saying. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:16.299 --> 00:02:20.275 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:20.299 --> 00:02:24.299 On the roof of the Swiss Embassy, we installed a series of antennas. 00:02:26.729 --> 00:02:30.983 They weren't as sophisticated as those used by the Americans and the British. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:31.007 --> 00:02:32.274 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:32.298 --> 00:02:34.021 They were makeshift can antennas, 00:02:34.045 --> 00:02:37.034 not camouflaged but totally obvious and visible. 00:02:38.299 --> 00:02:40.794 The Academy of Arts joined the project, 00:02:40.818 --> 00:02:44.508 and so we built another large antenna on their rooftop, 00:02:44.532 --> 00:02:48.550 exactly between the listening posts of the NSA and the GCHQ. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:48.574 --> 00:02:50.430 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:50.454 --> 00:02:55.275 Never have we been observed in such detail while building an art installation. 00:02:55.299 --> 00:02:57.551 A helicopter circled over our heads 00:02:57.575 --> 00:03:00.805 with a camera registering each and every move we made, 00:03:00.829 --> 00:03:04.039 and on the roof of the US Embassy, security officers patrolled. 00:03:05.499 --> 00:03:10.688 Although the government district is governed by a strict police order, 00:03:10.712 --> 00:03:14.871 there are no specific laws relating to digital communication. 00:03:15.548 --> 00:03:19.031 Our installation was therefore perfectly legal, 00:03:19.055 --> 00:03:22.252 and the Swiss Ambassador informed Chancellor Merkel about it. 00:03:23.101 --> 00:03:25.980 We named the project "Can You Hear Me?" NOTE Paragraph 00:03:26.004 --> 00:03:27.980 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:03:28.805 --> 00:03:33.066 The antennas created an open and free Wi-Fi communication network 00:03:33.090 --> 00:03:36.275 in which anyone who wanted to would be able to participate 00:03:36.299 --> 00:03:39.411 using any Wi-Fi-enabled device without any hindrance, 00:03:39.435 --> 00:03:41.356 and be able to send messages 00:03:41.380 --> 00:03:45.460 to those listening on the frequencies that were being intercepted. 00:03:46.510 --> 00:03:49.005 Text messages, voice chat, file sharing -- 00:03:49.029 --> 00:03:51.678 anything could be sent anonymously. 00:03:52.852 --> 00:03:55.275 And people did communicate. 00:03:55.299 --> 00:03:58.275 Over 15,000 messages were sent. 00:03:58.299 --> 00:04:00.051 Here are some examples. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:01.299 --> 00:04:05.811 "Hello world, hello Berlin, hello NSA, hello GCHQ." NOTE Paragraph 00:04:07.208 --> 00:04:11.299 "NSA Agents, Do the Right Thing! Blow the whistle!" NOTE Paragraph 00:04:12.884 --> 00:04:16.588 "This is the NSA. In God we trust. All others we track!!!!!" NOTE Paragraph 00:04:16.612 --> 00:04:18.864 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:20.233 --> 00:04:24.275 "#@nonymous is watching #NSA #GCHQ - we are part of your organizations. 00:04:24.299 --> 00:04:26.299 # expect us. We will #shutdown" NOTE Paragraph 00:04:27.483 --> 00:04:30.943 "This is the NSA's Achilles heel. Open Networks." NOTE Paragraph 00:04:30.967 --> 00:04:35.705 "Agents, what twisted story of yourself will you tell your grandchildren?" NOTE Paragraph 00:04:36.454 --> 00:04:40.870 "@NSA My neighbors are noisy. Please send a drone strike." NOTE Paragraph 00:04:40.894 --> 00:04:43.346 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:44.529 --> 00:04:46.840 "Make Love, Not cyberwar." NOTE Paragraph 00:04:47.602 --> 00:04:50.275 We invited the embassies and the government departments 00:04:50.299 --> 00:04:53.105 to participate in the open network, too, 00:04:53.129 --> 00:04:55.042 and to our surprise, they did. 00:04:55.066 --> 00:04:57.986 Files appeared on the network, including classified documents 00:04:58.010 --> 00:05:00.628 leaked from the parliamentary investigation commission, 00:05:00.652 --> 00:05:04.342 which highlights that the free exchange and discussion of vital information 00:05:04.366 --> 00:05:08.706 is starting to become difficult, even for members of a parliament. 00:05:09.746 --> 00:05:13.068 We also organized guided tours to experience and sound out 00:05:13.092 --> 00:05:15.142 the power constellations on-site. 00:05:15.166 --> 00:05:18.503 The tours visited the restricted zones around the embassies, 00:05:18.527 --> 00:05:22.926 and we discussed the potential and the highlights of communication. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:24.299 --> 00:05:28.478 If we become aware of the constellation, 00:05:28.502 --> 00:05:31.298 the terms and conditions of communication, 00:05:31.322 --> 00:05:33.653 it not only broadens our horizon, 00:05:33.677 --> 00:05:37.549 it allows us to look behind the regulations that limit our worldview, 00:05:37.573 --> 00:05:41.699 our specific social, political or aesthetic conventions. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:42.461 --> 00:05:44.414 Let's look at an actual example. 00:05:45.383 --> 00:05:48.470 The fate of people living in the makeshift settlements 00:05:48.494 --> 00:05:50.221 on the outskirts of Paris 00:05:50.245 --> 00:05:52.409 is hidden and faded from view. 00:05:53.299 --> 00:05:54.758 It's a vicious circle. 00:05:55.299 --> 00:05:58.551 It's not poverty, not racism, not exclusion that are new. 00:05:58.575 --> 00:06:02.093 What is new is how these realities are hidden 00:06:02.117 --> 00:06:03.745 and how people are made invisible 00:06:03.769 --> 00:06:07.865 in an age of global and overwhelming communication and exchange. 00:06:08.595 --> 00:06:11.430 Such makeshift settlements are considered illegal, 00:06:11.454 --> 00:06:14.726 and therefore those living in them don't have a chance 00:06:14.750 --> 00:06:16.551 of making their voices heard. 00:06:16.575 --> 00:06:22.001 On the contrary, every time they appear, every time they risk becoming visible, 00:06:22.025 --> 00:06:24.735 merely gives grounds for further persecution, 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:26.768 expulsion and suppression. 00:06:26.792 --> 00:06:31.996 What interested us was how we could come to know this hidden side. 00:06:32.020 --> 00:06:35.409 We were searching for an interface and we found one. 00:06:35.433 --> 00:06:39.696 It's not a digital interface, but a physical one: it's a hotel. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:42.235 We named the project "Hotel Gelem." 00:06:42.783 --> 00:06:46.616 Together with Roma families, we created several Hotel Gelems in Europe, 00:06:46.640 --> 00:06:49.599 for example, in Freiburg in Germany, in Montreuil near Paris, 00:06:49.623 --> 00:06:51.275 and also in the Balkans. 00:06:51.299 --> 00:06:52.660 These are real hotels. 00:06:52.684 --> 00:06:54.275 People can stay there. 00:06:54.299 --> 00:06:56.275 But they aren't a commercial enterprise. 00:06:56.299 --> 00:06:57.781 They are a symbol. 00:06:58.575 --> 00:07:02.227 You can go online and ask for a personal invitation 00:07:02.251 --> 00:07:06.637 to come and live for a few days in the Hotel Gelem, in their homes, 00:07:06.661 --> 00:07:10.153 eating, working and living with the Roma families. 00:07:10.748 --> 00:07:13.915 Here, the Roma families are not the travelers; 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:15.234 the visitors are. 00:07:15.584 --> 00:07:18.639 Here, the Roma families are not a minority; 00:07:18.663 --> 00:07:19.957 the visitors are. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:21.833 --> 00:07:25.802 The point is not to make judgments, 00:07:25.826 --> 00:07:28.580 but rather to find out about the context that determines 00:07:28.604 --> 00:07:31.803 these disparate and seemingly insurmountable contradictions. 00:07:32.299 --> 00:07:34.539 In the world of globalization, 00:07:34.563 --> 00:07:37.275 the continents are drifting closer to each other. 00:07:37.299 --> 00:07:39.823 Cultures, goods and people are in permanent exchange, 00:07:39.847 --> 00:07:43.101 but at the same time, the gap between the world of the privileged 00:07:43.125 --> 00:07:45.973 and the world of the excluded is growing. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:47.591 --> 00:07:49.275 We were recently in Australia. 00:07:49.299 --> 00:07:51.900 For us, it was no problem to enter the country. 00:07:51.924 --> 00:07:54.606 We have European passports, visas and air tickets. 00:07:55.059 --> 00:07:58.761 But asylum seekers who arrive by boat in Australia 00:07:58.785 --> 00:08:00.821 are deported or taken to prison. 00:08:01.299 --> 00:08:02.774 The interception of the boats 00:08:02.798 --> 00:08:05.879 and the disappearance of the people into the detention system 00:08:05.903 --> 00:08:08.546 are veiled by the Australian authorities. 00:08:09.062 --> 00:08:13.006 These procedures are declared to be secret military operations. 00:08:13.768 --> 00:08:16.912 After dramatic escapes from crisis zones and war zones, 00:08:16.936 --> 00:08:21.047 men, women and children are detained by Australia without trial, 00:08:21.071 --> 00:08:23.044 sometimes for years. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:25.036 --> 00:08:27.132 During our stay, however, 00:08:27.156 --> 00:08:31.275 we managed to reach out and work with asylum seekers who were imprisoned, 00:08:31.299 --> 00:08:33.501 despite strict screening and isolation. 00:08:34.057 --> 00:08:38.166 From these contexts was born an installation in the art space 00:08:38.190 --> 00:08:41.275 of the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:42.635 --> 00:08:45.690 On the face of it, it was a very simple installation. 00:08:46.182 --> 00:08:49.587 On the floor, a stylized compass gave the direction 00:08:49.611 --> 00:08:51.619 to each immigration detention center, 00:08:51.643 --> 00:08:56.275 accompanied by the distance and the name of the immigration facility. 00:08:56.299 --> 00:09:00.275 But the exhibition step came in the form of connectivity. 00:09:00.642 --> 00:09:04.275 Above every floor marking, there was a headset. 00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:08.915 Visitors were offered the opportunity to talk directly to a refugee 00:09:08.939 --> 00:09:11.275 who was or had been imprisoned 00:09:11.299 --> 00:09:13.487 in a specific detention facility 00:09:13.511 --> 00:09:15.932 and engage in a personal conversation. 00:09:16.916 --> 00:09:19.782 In the protected context of the art exhibition, 00:09:19.806 --> 00:09:22.433 asylum seekers felt free to talk about themselves, 00:09:22.457 --> 00:09:26.147 their story and their situation, without fear of consequences. 00:09:26.694 --> 00:09:29.706 Visitors immersed themselves in long conversations 00:09:29.730 --> 00:09:33.483 about families torn apart, about dramatic escapes from war zones, 00:09:33.507 --> 00:09:35.119 about suicide attempts, 00:09:35.143 --> 00:09:37.753 about the fate of children in detention. 00:09:38.618 --> 00:09:40.602 Emotions ran deep. Many wept. 00:09:40.626 --> 00:09:43.008 Several revisited the exhibition. 00:09:43.032 --> 00:09:45.372 It was a powerful experience. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:46.459 --> 00:09:50.731 Europe is now facing a stream of migrants. 00:09:51.413 --> 00:09:55.275 The situation for the asylum seekers is made worse by contradictory policies 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:58.594 and the temptation of militarized responses. 00:09:59.299 --> 00:10:01.989 We have also established communication systems 00:10:02.013 --> 00:10:05.081 in remote refugee centers in Switzerland and Greece. 00:10:05.622 --> 00:10:08.853 They are all about providing basic information -- weather forecasts, 00:10:08.877 --> 00:10:10.751 legal information, guidance. 00:10:11.163 --> 00:10:12.854 But they are significant. 00:10:13.211 --> 00:10:14.529 Information on the Internet 00:10:14.553 --> 00:10:17.283 that could ensure survival along dangerous routes 00:10:17.307 --> 00:10:18.700 is being censored, 00:10:18.724 --> 00:10:23.411 and the provision of such information is becoming increasingly criminalized. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:24.601 --> 00:10:27.651 This brings us back to our network and to the antennas 00:10:27.675 --> 00:10:29.905 on the roof of the Swiss Embassy in Berlin 00:10:29.929 --> 00:10:32.003 and the "Can You Hear Me?" project. 00:10:32.725 --> 00:10:35.935 We should not take it for granted to be boundlessly connected. 00:10:35.959 --> 00:10:37.992 We should start making our own connections, 00:10:38.016 --> 00:10:42.516 fighting for this idea of an equal and globally interconnected world. 00:10:42.540 --> 00:10:45.275 This is essential to overcome our speechlessness 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:48.419 and the separation provoked by rival political forces. 00:10:48.839 --> 00:10:52.030 It is only in truly exposing ourselves 00:10:52.054 --> 00:10:54.920 to the transformative power of this experience 00:10:54.944 --> 00:10:58.275 that we can overcome prejudice and exclusion. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:58.299 --> 00:10:59.453 Thank you. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:59.477 --> 00:11:04.811 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:11:04.835 --> 00:11:06.522 Bruno Giussani: Thank you, Mathias. 00:11:06.546 --> 00:11:08.871 The other half of your artistic duo is also here. 00:11:08.895 --> 00:11:10.532 Christoph Wachter, come onstage. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:10.556 --> 00:11:15.914 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:11:15.938 --> 00:11:17.343 First, tell me just a detail: 00:11:17.367 --> 00:11:19.446 the name of the hotel is not a random name. 00:11:19.470 --> 00:11:22.731 Gelem means something specific in the Roma language. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:22.755 --> 00:11:27.573 Mathias Jud: Yes, "Gelem, Gelem" is the title of the Romani hymn, 00:11:27.597 --> 00:11:30.275 the official, and it means "I went a long way." NOTE Paragraph 00:11:30.980 --> 00:11:33.199 BG: That's just to add the detail to your talk. 00:11:33.223 --> 00:11:35.907 But you two traveled to the island of Lesbos 00:11:35.931 --> 00:11:38.622 very recently, you're just back a couple of days ago, 00:11:38.646 --> 00:11:41.054 in Greece, where thousands of refugees are arriving 00:11:41.078 --> 00:11:43.366 and have been arriving over the last few months. 00:11:43.390 --> 00:11:45.832 What did you see there and what did you do there? NOTE Paragraph 00:11:45.856 --> 00:11:49.657 Christoph Wachter: Well, Lesbos is one of the Greek islands close to Turkey, 00:11:49.681 --> 00:11:51.076 and during our stay, 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:56.521 many asylum seekers arrived by boat on overcrowded dinghies, 00:11:56.545 --> 00:12:00.204 and after landing, they were left completely on their own. 00:12:00.228 --> 00:12:04.019 They are denied many services. 00:12:04.043 --> 00:12:06.537 For example, they are not allowed to buy a bus ticket 00:12:06.561 --> 00:12:07.966 or to rent a hotel room, 00:12:07.990 --> 00:12:12.676 so many families literally sleep in the streets. 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:17.336 And we installed networks there to allow basic communication, 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.463 because I think, I believe, 00:12:19.487 --> 00:12:24.926 it's not only that we have to speak about the refugees, 00:12:24.950 --> 00:12:28.275 I think we need to start talking to them. 00:12:28.655 --> 00:12:32.275 And by doing so, we can realize that it is about human beings, 00:12:32.299 --> 00:12:35.062 about their lives and their struggle to survive. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:35.086 --> 00:12:36.996 BG: And allow them to talk as well. 00:12:37.020 --> 00:12:38.935 Christoph, thank you for coming to TED. 00:12:38.959 --> 00:12:41.977 Mathias, thank you for coming to TED and sharing your story. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:42.001 --> 00:12:44.132 (Applause)