Constant Dullaart
[NL]
"YouTube as a Subject" (2008) and "Terms of Service" (2012)
"YouTube as a Subject" concentrates on the old version of the YouTube play button, giving it a life of its own; the button is allowed to fall, to be out of focus, or even to disco-dance. "Terms of Service" points towards Googles true interests, that should actually be obvious, but are usually neglected by the everyday routines of users.
The short animations of "Youtube as a Subject", which are normally presented on YouTube, are now re-framed within the exhibition and shown on single screens; the button is released from its habitat. Responses to the piece, from several artists, are also presented, enlarging it into a work complex of online “found objects”.
The neutral appearance of platforms such as Google, that is, their clean and tidy landing pages devoid of advertisements, make them appear as harmless research tools for browsing the Net. Their true, opposite nature, is however quickly revealed through “Terms of Service”, a work where Google’s landing page dictates the prominent search engine’s rules and conditions out loud. Google’s search bar becomes the Mouth of Truth, revealing its terms of service with a chillingly neutral, machine like voice.
Constant Dullaart’s works can be defined as contemporary ready-made pieces. His main source of material is the Internet, which he appropriates by editing online presentation formats and by re-contextualizing found materials. He studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and worked closely