HUMAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Reflections in around to Human All Rights Reserved by Montse Arbelo & Joseba Franco

The doors of perception, in a world we feel is under revolution by the change of century and millennium, in which old paradigms are questioned, mostly by the irruption of new technologies (personal computers, internet, mobile phones…) and the concepts behind it, such as globalization, culture shocks etc., with diverse meanings, are open to us and so we decided to embark on an adventure in which life and art meet as a whole. In the threshold of this spectacularly universal millennium, which promises a new, fairer, more democratic social order, science and technology are the pillars that support the great change ahead for humanity. An equalitarian world free of wars was promised. From the XVIII Century onwards we have been constructing that modern myth that claims that scientific knowledge and the emancipation of humanity were linked. This faith from the Age of Reason soon had the trappings of a religion in which the belief is that there is only one way of being modern and is always good to be deeply rooted; but that is not always the case. Modernity has created monsters; those monsters rule the stage with unidirectional messages of contempt against the difference of the other. To be different means being backward, ignorant and a potential foe.

With those basis, we decided to explore consciously and fully the new language offered by the most advanced technology in order to discover the realities and myths of modern day societies and their multiple contradictions. We did a leap from painting to digital image (photograph, video, infography, virtual reality, etc.), delivering ourselves from the need and dependence of stable physical spaces, of belonging to a specific place. We created NOMADAS as a general framework for our projects; the outcome was a way of life and expression that has worked for decade, visiting any available country, walking a limitless road with our handy portable computers and digital cameras. Being on the road meant a change of mentality: from the solitude and privacy of the studio to establishing collaboration lines with other artists and Technological Institutions in any part of the world. Those contacts also became intense personal relationships.

Exchange and swapping are valuable again and the term "globalization" reaches its true meaning. The usage of technological tools implies the knowledge of their codes. However, we are more interested in technology itself, but as a support for our ideas, researching its incidence in different societies and cultures, from different points of view, in order to analyze and propose new models that surpass reality as it has been known until today.

Living in a technologically developed society allows us to find solutions to many problems, but also poses many questions that can not be left aside. We would like to reflect on some of them: The quick pace of development of the information systems to sustain almost instant communication ¿who controls the contents of this so-called new era? ¿Is it possible, a change of social order with the new media?

Writers: Montse Arbelo and Joseba Franco. Artists, creators and directors HUMAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Spain