DEUTSCH / NICHT DEUTSCH

Daniela Nedovescu

DEUTSCH / NICHT DEUTSCH is a multi-piece installation that questions the concepts of national identity, citizenship, and belonging, through a lens that tries not to take itself too seriously, with all decisions left in the hands of a machine. The piece invites participants to experience a simulated naturalization process, drawing inspiration from both the real-life tests for German citizenship and the artists' personal journey to obtain it. The installation features six interactive stations where participants are examined by biased artificial intelligence models.

These models challenge and provoke by enforcing a face test and pushing the limits of 'what ifs'. Whether someone is deemed German or not is decided solely by the artificial intelligence system. Once the process is over, the participants receive their results in the most public manner possible. Their portraits, digital interpretations of their faces, appear on massive screens, with just a single label beneath each image: “DEUTSCH” or “NICHT DEUTSCH.” Following the public display of results, participants are given a signed certificate, representing either their success in conforming to the system or a reminder of their failure, leaving them to decide whether they feel DEUTSCH” or “NICHT DEUTSCH.” More information here: https://mots.us/work/deutsch-nicht-deutsch

Project Collaborators:

Produced by mots (Daniela Nedovescu & Octavian Mot) https://mots.us/