When Tech Meets Art

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By A.C.T. Publications Staff

What does the internet know about you? San Franciscans on Market Street were intrigued today by a new installation in the lobby of The Strand Theater—The Glass Room Experience, a series of interactive displays focusing on web privacy and the personal data held by giant tech companies. The installation was backed by internet nonprofit Mozilla and Tactical Technology Collective, a German nonprofit focused on digital security awareness.

Two pieces in The Glass Room Experience's installation. 
This timely tech event comes as part of The Strand’s wider exploration of technology. On Monday, October 2, the theater will join the Goethe-Institut in presenting the Plurality of Privacy Project in Five-Minute Plays (P3M5)—a series of short, newly commissioned works, open to the community, investigating contemporary issues of digital privacy. A.C.T.’s commission, #CAMPTULELAKE by Bay Area playwright Philip Kan Gotanda (After the War, Monstress), juxtaposes the story of a Japanese American girl desperate for privacy amid a 1940 internment camp with today’s tendency toward digital oversharing.

In addition, The Strand is the venue for a new play, Clickshare by Lucas Kavner, which opens on Thursday, September 28. Focusing on a fictional web media company, Clickshare looks at the consequences of instant journalism and viral content.

The Glass Room Experience runs until October 3. Clickshare runs September 28–30. The Plurality of Privacy Project in Five-Minute Plays takes place on October 2, 12–1 p.m. All these events will take place at The Strand Theater, 1127 Market Street.

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