Do Not Research

Do Not Research is a multidisciplinary publication exploring contemporary issues through art, essays, and analyses. It covers internet culture, digital and political art, technology's impact on society, and the evolving relationship between humans and digital media. Themes include the critique of consumer culture, digital legacy, and speculative futures.

Internet Culture Digital Art Technology and Society Consumerism Mental Health Political Art Digital Legacy Speculative Futures Environmental Impact of Technology Human-Computer Interaction

The hottest Substack posts of Do Not Research

And their main takeaways

Leo Elia Jung: The Living Diamonds of Yakutia

0 implied HN points • 27 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Sculptures Collaboration Futurism Natural History
  1. The work cycle 'The Living Diamonds of Yakutia' showcases sculptures based on an essay about reviving woolly mammoths to combat climate change and explores the financial interests driving such efforts.
  2. A map declares the Yamal Peninsula a collaborative wildlife park involving Pleistocene Park, Colossal, and Gazprom, blending conservation with natural gas mining.
  3. Sculptures like the 'Charging Mammoth' and 'Declaration of Independence: Patent Application' creatively reimagine the importance and implications of mammoth research and resurrection.

Artist Profile: Simon Denny, by Toniann Fernandez

0 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual Arts Contemporary Art
  1. When you buy space in the Metaverse, you get a token as proof of ownership, which is like a snapshot of a map.
  2. Simon Denny's Metaverse Landscape Paintings explore the connection between traditional landscape art and ownership in the digital space.
  3. Denny plans to exhibit his unique landscape paintings at various galleries, incorporating different realms of the Metaverse in his work.

Screening + Q&A: Jon Rafman: Punctured Sky (2021) w/ Filip Kostic

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Film Storytelling Visual Arts Digital Art Cultural critique
  1. A key theme discussed is the exploration of lost truth and memory in the protagonist's search for meaning in Jon Rafman's film _Punctured Sky_.
  2. Rafman highlights the importance of constructed narratives in understanding self-identity and consciousness, especially in a world where reality and history are increasingly complex and fragmented.
  3. The conversation touches on the significance of using free apps and hacks to create art in a way that embraces playfulness and transparency in showcasing the process of image splicing and storytelling.

Screening + Q&A: Jane Schoenbrun: We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) w/ Tomi Faison

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Film Internet culture Creative Process Visual storytelling
  1. The film 'We're All Going to the World's Fair' directed by Jane Schoenbrun is about a young girl's experience on the internet, reflecting the personal relationship many people have with online communities.
  2. Jane Schoenbrun's approach to filmmaking involves collaboration and exploring personal experiences through creative expression, showcasing a style that blends personal storytelling with the online world.
  3. The interview touches on themes of hierarchical structures in the film industry, the intersection of online culture with loneliness, and the potential for artists to create meaningful work by understanding and utilizing different mediums.
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Abbey Pusz: DIGITAL LOCAL: The Post Internet Artists

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Creativity Technology influence
  1. Artists now face a choice between producing work for galleries or becoming cultural producers in the online content creation landscape.
  2. Post Internet Artists navigate the challenge of maintaining creativity and intuition while adhering to the constraints of online platforms and market demands.
  3. Accelerationist theorists propose a radical positive project for the left, emphasizing a reinvigorated confidence in technology and a critical detachment from the disappointments of past social democratic politics.

Sam Lavigne: Real Deepfakes and Fake Deepfakes

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Deepfakes Video Editing Machine Learning Social media
  1. The fear of deepfakes eroding democracy is prominent, but the actual threat may be from established institutions.
  2. Detecting a real that appears fake is more challenging than identifying a fake that seems real.
  3. Creating a 'fake deepfake' involves technical steps that are simpler compared to making a real deepfake, which requires specific tools and hardware.

Jak Ritger: DIGITAL LOCAL: Prehistory of Viral Media

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Art history Digital Media Social media
  1. Memes are complex and not fully understood in terms of what truly defines them - it's not just the image but also its context, language, style, and speed.
  2. Understanding the historical context of 'Viral Media' helps in appreciating its impact on art and culture over time, providing insights into today's media landscape.
  3. Exploring different forms of media and art through history, from Surrealism to Outsider Art, helps in dissecting the evolution and influence of viral content.

Eva & Franco Mattes: Abuse Standards Violations (Excerpt)

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Content Moderation Social media Artists Labor
  1. Artists Eva & Franco Mattes showcase the clearly defined content boundaries on social media platforms through leaked internal documents, helping users better understand moderation rules.
  2. Despite the increasing automation in content moderation, there is still a substantial need for human interpretation, often carried out by gig workers worldwide, which leads to high turnover rates due to disturbing content exposure and irregular work hours.
  3. Part-time content moderators are often unaware of the platforms they are moderating for, as the origin and ownership of the moderation guidelines remain undisclosed.

Sakshi Rakshale: Jim-cels Vs 'Mirin-chads

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Fitness Influencers Social media Youth culture
  1. Fitness influencers like Zyzz and Lexx Little have had a strong impact on the digital fitness culture, promoting motivation and gym routines.
  2. The rise of SARM Goblins, teens using performance-enhancing drugs like SARMs to get buff, has sparked debates within the bodybuilding community.
  3. Access to performance-enhancing drugs online has changed the landscape for young bodybuilders, posing potential risks and challenges.

Thomas Mader: This image will become important later

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual Arts Propaganda Memes Iconography History
  1. The Pink Panther imagery was adapted by the far-right, showcasing how political agendas can exploit seemingly innocuous symbols.
  2. The power of memes lies in their adaptability and personalized storytelling within social movements.
  3. The challenge of reclaiming images from far-right associations raises questions about desirability and time frames for such efforts.

Lena Peplińska: Think of a number from 1 to 77. Conspiracy theories as memetic dreams

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Digital Media Memes Symbolism Visual communication
  1. Collecting data: The internet user plays a gawker role by actively engaging with information, influencing their social media feed with obscure narratives.
  2. Mutating: Memes mutate in digital environments like pathogens, losing their original meaning and becoming a tailored form of communication for the digital age.
  3. Sharing: Memes share similarities with dreams, expressing subconscious wishes and anxieties, and create personalized realities that shape collective fantasies, impacting individual experiences and online interactions.

João Enxuto & Erica Love: SFMOMA.domains

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Museum Consulting Education Career Legacy
  1. The proposal suggests a shift in museum operations to adapt to Silicon Valley's technological influence, recommending initiatives like a museum-anchored culture incubator.
  2. The document highlights the importance of considering future audience investments to ensure long-term financial health of museums.
  3. New administrative roles and organizational changes are recommended to enhance visitor experiences and transparency within the museum.

Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman: Oh My Darling

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Film Storytelling
  1. The short film 'Oh My Darling' by Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman features a pregnant woman experiencing an unpleasant change while shopping for clementines.
  2. The film stars Amy Berkhoudt and Rachel Pacio, with music by David Rosman and Meredith Corley.
  3. Jack Lawrence Mayer is credited with shooting the film directed and written by Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman.

Angel Emoji: Like It or Not, I'm Dropping a Huge Bomb of Joy on Your Heart

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Performance Music Artists Literature Creativity
  1. Working on a Disney cruise ship can create a magical, stable, and joyful environment as a performer.
  2. Artists like Jeffrey Lewis and John Cage showcase endurance and commitment in their artistic endeavors.
  3. Repetition in performance can lead to a deep familiarity and acceptance, transforming initial offense into enjoyment.

Jacob Engblom: feels.matrix.surf

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Internet culture
  1. feels.matrix.surf is a project focusing on visual representations of the Feels Guy, also known as Wojak, using a grid of sorted "feels" with overlays to represent metrics and taxonomy.
  2. The project aims to mimic how we view ourselves and others online, comparing it to a cybernetic ouija board gently guiding us across various platforms.
  3. The work by Jacob Engblom on feels.matrix.surf explores the online perception of self and others, utilizing visual representations and symbolic overlays to convey the cybernetic influence.

Eternal Engine: Enter The Chamber

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Exhibition Digital Art Futurism
  1. Eternal Engine explores themes like xeno-, glitch-, and cyberfeminism through visual art and technology, challenging mainstream narratives.
  2. The artists aim to create alternate realities by collaborating with AI and emphasizing emancipation and queering over surveillance and binary oppositions.
  3. The exhibition 'Enter The Chamber' offers a safe space for free-living algorithms, pushing against capitalist dystopia, and embracing fluidity and queer identities.

PostPostPost: In Defense of The Edgelord

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Ideology Controversy Critique Art Pop culture
  1. Ideology operates beneath our consciousness, influencing how we believe rather than what we believe in.
  2. The concept of the 'beautiful soul' contrasts with the edgelord, who embraces transgression and pushing boundaries without committing to a fixed ideology.
  3. Edgelords challenge norms and seek attention through shock value, but their actions can transition from provocative to dangerous when associated with extremist ideologies.

Lucia Santina Ribisi: Climate Chaos, Baby (Trailer)

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Documentary Ethics Generation Z Environmental justice Climate Crisis
  1. A short documentary explores how Generation Z views having children in the midst of the climate crisis.
  2. The film challenges traditional research methods by featuring young voices discussing topics like environmental ethics.
  3. Director Lucia Ribisi collaborates with activists and art students to promote reproductive and environmental justice through multimedia projects.

Morgane Billuart: Elevated and Upgraded: The Paradigms of Female Health and Body Optimization

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Women's Health Emotional Wellbeing Body Image Self-reflection Mental health
  1. Optimization often involves maximizing the utility of the body and striving for perfection under societal norms and expectations.
  2. The concept of an 'optimized woman' revolves around empowering oneself through pain, creating strategies based on menstrual cycles, and integrating external elements for survival.
  3. The pressure to optimize our bodies and lives is influenced by capitalist, patriarchal, and technological systems, leading to feelings of inadequacy and constant comparison with machines.

Mythical Institution: Bauen Wohnen Denken

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Community Building
  1. The project 'bauen wohnen denken' explores the intersection of gaming culture and artistic production within the Mythical Institution, focusing on collaborative worldbuilding and community building.
  2. The Mythical Institution serves as a virtual space for ritual and myth-making, emphasizing the importance of exploring virtual realms for community building.
  3. By engaging in avatarian Live Action Role-Play and creating visual and text-based contributions, participants in the project develop a shared narrative and explore concepts of existence, community, and spirituality.

Nicholas Aloisio-Shearer: Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition II: I Have Been In This Place Before

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Exhibition Digital Art Social Commentary Internet culture
  1. The exhibition showcases jacquard woven tapestries inspired by the Apocalypse Tapestry from the 14th Century, merging biblical allegories with internet culture and contemporary image production.
  2. The artworks in the exhibition blend traditional artistic techniques with modern internet imagery, creating a bridge between historical tapestry production and current computational logic.
  3. The pieces in the collection draw on a variety of sources, including 3D print repositories, internet memes, and religious iconography, reflecting a fusion of technology, mythology, and cultural critique.

Reuben Dendinger: Political Identity After Wikipedia

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
  1. Wikipedia can provide diverse knowledge beyond traditional education, revealing a complex world of ideologies.
  2. American political spectrum presented on TV is simplistic; true ideological diversity extends beyond liberals and conservatives.
  3. Political identities shaped online lack historical context and depth; true understanding requires studying history and critical theory.

Julianna Ham: Cultural Learnings of a Post-Borat America

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Comedy Documentary Ethics Social Commentary Reality
  1. American comedic film and TV can be categorized into two eras, pre and post the 2006 film Borat, reflecting the changing cultural landscape in America.
  2. The emergence of 'reflexive mockamentary' genre in filmed comedy showcases a trend where protagonists interact with real-world subjects in a deceptive manner, revealing the complexities of human behavior under social influence.
  3. The genre blurs the line between reality and fiction, raising ethical and philosophical questions about the power dynamics between the 'addressant' who knows the truth, and the 'addressee' who is unaware, highlighting the human desire to explore the limits of truth and absurdity.

Pedro Gossler: Fanfic Politics

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Film Art Music Politics Festivals
  1. The post discusses fanfic politics involving various topics like autocratic men, post-truth discussions, and connections between Taylor Swift and oil fields.
  2. Pedro Gossler is featured in the post, which is related to events such as the 68th Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Het Nieuwe Instituut, and Reykjavík Film Festival.
  3. The post delves into themes like the art world, film festivals, and political nuances through the lens of fanfic politics.

Blake Robbins: Data Collection Chant for 16 Voices

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Community Engagement
  1. The audio installation 'Data Collection Chant for 16 Voices' by Blake Robbins was originally created for 4 speakers but should be played on a loop in a bathroom from as many speakers as possible throughout the day.
  2. The piece was inspired by a discord server called 'Coincellcord' where users would discuss surveillance and being surveilled in a playful way.
  3. Robbins edited a transcript from the discord server to create the audio piece with the help of sixteen friends and presented it at a group show in Massachusetts.

Sarah Chekfa: Viral When You Cry (On Main)

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Social media Emotions Influence Authenticity Trends
  1. Crying selfies have become a trend, representing a range of emotions from deep sadness to joy, with authenticity being a key value for Gen Z.
  2. Posting crying selfies on social media blurs lines between vulnerability, authenticity, and performative behavior, impacting how emotions are shared and perceived online.
  3. The monetization of crying selfies by brands and the viral nature of exaggerated emotional expressions on social media platforms reveal the complex interplay between genuine emotions and commercial interests.

Brandon Bandy & Rachel Jackson: Network Spirituality

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Exhibition Collaboration Online Culture
  1. Network Spirituality was a collaborative exhibition at University of California, Riverside in April of 2022, exploring algorithmic domination, 'content mirage,' and religious signifiers in the online world.
  2. The exhibition featured works that combined seemingly unrelated source material to create new cultural forms referencing past influences, like a chair reupholstered with ads or lamps transformed into stickers.
  3. Art has the potential to influence real-world events, as seen when Olivia Rodrigo became Glossier's first celebrity brand ambassador and a 'Praying for Olivia Rodrigo' purse was released as tour merchandise after being featured in the exhibition.

Brandon Bandy: Selected Sculptures

0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Sculptures Design Digital Art
  1. Postmodern design took over as modernist design fell out of favor, leading to a trend of self-aware irony and pastiche in contemporary aesthetics.
  2. Celebrity fast-food partnerships sparked by Travis Scott's McDonald's meal paved the way for deals like Lil Huddy's with Burger King, creating intriguing speculation around his and Charli D'Amelio's relationship.
  3. Shipping mishaps like damaged packages of unique products can lead to unexpected experiences, like receiving dented and leaking Flaming Hot Mountain Dew E-Liquids.

Rachel Jackson: Hypertext Monuments

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Design Visual Culture Political art
  1. Artistic works can lose their original meaning when shared online and are often repurposed for commercial use.
  2. The concept of image aggregation raises questions about the politics of image distribution and how it impacts art and brand creation.
  3. There is a shift in the demographic of image collectors from curating personal aesthetics to focusing on creating marketable brand identities with visual references.

Paranoia State: RITUAL BALLISTICS: DOCTRINE-of-FORCE

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Mixed Media
  1. RITUAL BALLISTICS: DOCTRINE-of-FORCE is an ongoing series of mixed media artworks exploring the link between mass murder rituals and modern warfare's origins.
  2. The term 'cybernetics' was first used in 1948 by Norbert Wiener, originating from research on automated aiming systems for anti-aircraft guns, leading to artificial intelligence and modern weapon systems.
  3. The Doctine of Force allows various groups, from neo-nihilist Nazis to Non-Denominational Evangelicals, to use the state's power to affirm their beliefs, creating a complex web of forces.

Alex Both: Landforms

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Painting Geography Visual Culture Digital Art
  1. The artwork 'Landforms' is an oil painting that depicts a geographical diagram of landforms on a continent, created by merging images from Instagram and Google.
  2. This piece by Alex Both explores capturing attention in a visually busy culture by combining memes and personal photos to form a coherent image.
  3. The artist's process involved using Photoshop to blend and paint various images together in a way that reflects the visual information sharing prevalent in social media.

Owen Carry: The “Blovad Effect,” Camouflage-Core, and What It Means for Post-Corny Fashion

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Fashion Trends Subcultures Nostalgia Aesthetics
  1. Social media has a significant impact on fashion and personal style, blurring the lines between online persona and real-world identity.
  2. The cyclical nature of nostalgia in fashion is accelerated by trends set by influencers, leading to niche subcultures and evolving fashion trends.
  3. Fashion subversion and the quest for cutting-edge aesthetics in a post-cliché world involve a complex interplay between embracing nostalgia, challenging norms, and seeking new, unexpected elements.

Noture Bosnuze: The Prelon in the Desert

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Online Communities Technology Storytelling Internet culture
  1. The House of Prelon in the cyber world was a unique and engaging community, a place for fluid and masterful conversations among distinguished individuals.
  2. The collapse of the House of Prelon highlights the transient nature of online cult communities, showing how easily they can form and disintegrate.
  3. The story hints at a mysterious encounter with a nuclear scientist and the quest to uncover the truth behind disruptive inventions, leaving room for further exploration.

K8 Howl: Rippin' Off the Bandaid!

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
  1. The post discusses an unemployed Gen-X musician's coping mechanisms during the summer of 2020, focused on doom-posting on social media and graffiti art in a local spot in the woods.
  2. The image and text combination in the post seems to emphasize a theme of introspection and rebellion against societal norms.
  3. The tone of the post suggests a raw and unfiltered look at individual expression and challenges faced by the Gen-X population during a specific time frame.

Anna Eisenman: HOLLOW and BLACKHOLE

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Digital Art Animation Internet culture
  1. Videos _HOLLOW_ and _BLACKHOLE_ are a pair - the first explores death and the infinite, the second questions birth and the repetition of meaning.
  2. The content in the videos is drawn from dark corners of the internet like conspiracy theories and chat room archives, exploring how the digital world both connects and alienates us from reality.
  3. Characters in the videos, like the photogrammetry scan of a tombstone and anthropomorphized ASMR video, examine their digital environment and challenge the reality vs. virtuality divide.

Vector Lab in collaboration with Avery Corp: Special Research Report: Getting Rich Quick

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
💰 Finance Investing Income Risk management Promotions Collaboration
  1. The research aimed to find ways to get rich quick through novel schemes rather than going for traditional jobs or hustles.
  2. There are distinctions between scams and schemes, with schemes focusing on exploiting systems instead of individuals.
  3. One profitable scheme discussed in the research is 'gambling promotion arbitrage' which involves taking advantage of 'risk free bet' offers from different sportsbooks.

Sean Kennedy: Art is Everything

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Fine Art Digital Art
  1. Video essays on YouTube by ex-academics creatively convey complex topics in a culturally relevant way.
  2. Art is Everything aims to bring attention to contemporary arts discourse and challenges the traditional art world format.
  3. The series explores the relevance of art in a world that has systematically devalued it and emphasizes a more collective and empathetic approach to art and its perception.