Power Pilgrims
I am a power pilgrim. I travel the world to praise the great electrical networks. Please provide me with power so that I can continue my journey.
The Amber Order pilgrims travel the world to pay reverence to and express their trust in the Great Electrical System. On their pilgrimages they wear traditional Amber Robes that are held together by battery-powered electromagnets. When the battery runs low the robe begins falling apart, requiring the pilgrim to recharge for 30 minutes every other hour. In order to continue the journey the pilgrim thus depends on the availability of public power outlets and the generosity of strangers.
Increasing digital capacities implies surrendering some control to underlying technical structures. Wearing the Amber Robe produces a strong feeling of dependency. The experience makes the pilgrim intimately aware of the power outlet geography of her surroundings and the hybrid, fragile nature of her identity.
Created with Desearch and Revelopment (Otto von Busch, David Cuartielles, Erik Sandelin, Livia Sunesson, Magnus Torstensson).
Read more about the project in the archive.
