Das Mass der Dinge
Nadja Buttendorf proudly presents the new
measurement unit: "the smartphone"! Use your smartphone to measure
everything: the length of a table, the size of a screen or how tall are
you? "I bought this painting. It's 5 1/2 by 9 iphones big!"
Smartphones change our social and daily life profoundly. It is your new
sensory organ, your TV, your newspaper, your bank, your map, your
doctor, your lighter, your mechanic's level and your friend who will
keep you under surveillance. Mobile is hipper than desktop. The
smartphone is always in your hand, if not it's located in the line of
sight. An alien, watching the humans, would think a smartphone is an
essential characteristic of the human anatomy. I propose to establish
the human body as a basic measurements again, like feet, cubit, palm,
inch (width of the human thumb) etc. to unite the contradictions of the
human body and the digital self.
To measure is an established practice. The standardized unity applied to objects and subjects makes them transparent and comparable. Everyone is measuring all the time to compete, to define a norm and to judge.
EveryBODY is invited to make their own smartphone measurement tape and
experiment with the new unit.
