FLORIAN KUHLMANN ← curation & projects

2012 – 2017

digital3mpire

Gallery space · blog · devstudio · thinktank — the first project space for digital art in Düsseldorf. Kirchfeldstraße 112.

digital3mpire.com — the logo on the gallery window, visitors reflected in the glass
BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — projection and audience in THE HUB during the opening
BYOB Düsseldorf, 2014 — bring your own beamer: the opening night of THE HUB.

the claim

analog
digital
hub
rhineland

Digital3mpire takes a deep dive into the aesthetics of the rising global digital empire.

concept

a platform, a place, a node

The digital3mpire platform consists of the perisphere blog, the INTERNATIONAL OFFICE FOR AESTHETIC CONSULTING AND DIGITAL ISSUES, and a projectspace-gallery called THE HUB.

Digital3mpire is also a node in a global network of places and platforms dealing with similar themes. The aim of the project is to collect ideas and strategies for connecting the digital and the natural sphere in an intelligent, accessible, and humane way. We work on both the daunting problems and vast opportunities of an increasingly digitally formed synthetic reality.

The digital is real but always unfinished and formless. We are aware of its wild and unpredictable nature, but we are looking for the best algorithms and structures to shape it. Everybody is welcome to join on this journey.

— digital3mpire, düsseldorf, 2016

the space

our galleryspace — the hub

Every aesthetic mutation needs a place. Ours is called THE HUB. Situated in Düsseldorf — a town in the heart of Western Europe with a long history of spawning groundbreaking movements like zero, dada, punk or fluxus — the hub is a space to gather with others in the Rhineland area who share our interest in the evolution of "the digital" and our passion for all aspects of an increasingly digitalized world.

THE HUB, Kirchfeldstraße 112 Düsseldorf — the shop front with gallery window
Kirchfeldstraße 112 — a former shop, a white cube with a window to the street.
Inside THE HUB during an event — projection and audience
inside, during one of the events.

shows, lectures, happenings and events

five years of program

From internet-art book releases to a WLAN router as an exhibition space — the program moved between screen and street, always testing where digital art can happen.

30.10.2012

books and blankets — release 1

Sebastian Schmieg — Search by Image · the very first digital3mpire release, presented as Digital-Soirée 1 in Düsseldorf. BOOKS AND BLANKETS is a selection based on internet-art: books help us introduce and distribute work containing images and words, blankets help us to transform the value of art. An edition of 43/250 books and 3 blankets. Photos: Thomas Spallek

Digital-Soirée 1 — the shop window lettered 'Digital Soirée', the street reflected
Digital-Soirée 1 — installation view: the woven Search by Image blanket on the wall, a laptop on an easel
Digital-Soirée 1 — the packed opening in front of the blanket
full documentation (10 photos)
Digital-Soirée 1 — window text: Books and Blankets 1, Sebastian Schmieg, Search by Image Digital-Soirée 1 — installing the woven blanket before the opening Digital-Soirée 1 — installation view: blanket on the wall, laptop on an easel Digital-Soirée 1 — the Search by Image work running on a laptop, on a pedestal Digital-Soirée 1 — the woven blanket in detail, made of found internet images Digital-Soirée 1 — the crowd at the opening Digital-Soirée 1 — visitors looking at the book during the opening Digital-Soirée 1 — the lit window from the street, the crowd inside Digital-Soirée 1 — the gallery at night, visitors gathering at the door Books and Blankets 1 — the book, edition 43/250, on the printed blanket
05.07.2013

myspam — stefan riebel

Digital-Soirée 2 · presentation of Stefan Riebel's collection of finest spam — the junk mail of the inbox turned into an edition, printed and read aloud. A happening and installation, spilling out onto the street

Myspam — view through the gallery window during the happening
full documentation (9 photos)
myspam — the window text: Digital Soirée 02, Stefan Riebel, myspam myspam — the contact card: 'Interessiert?' — a spam sign-up sheet myspam — a laptop and projection during the happening myspam — the spam on screen myspam — a forwarded spam email, printed out: 'open this email for 12 people you should met' myspam — a visitor reading the printed spam myspam — at the laptop during the opening myspam — the crowd on the street in front of the gallery window myspam — visitors at the opening
26.09.2014

byob düsseldorf

the opening of THE HUB & #digital3mpire — bring your own beamer, with artwork from Matthias Danberg, Daniel Dwyer, Lance Kiu, Max Kuwertz, Jens Mittelsdorf, Matthias Neuenhofer, Mark Pepper, Sebastian Blank, Florian Winkler, Martin Wisniowski, Dmitry Zakharov

BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — projections and audience in THE HUB
BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — beamer projection during the opening night
full documentation (14 photos)
BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo BYOB Düsseldorf 2014 — documentation photo
12.12.2014

autopoiesis is greek for self creation

with Thomas Spallek, Alexander Romey, Sebastian Schmieg and Silvio Lorusso

Autopoiesis — Western Typologies Nr. 1, digital frames on a pedestal
Western Typologies Nr. 1 — digital frames on a pedestal.
Autopoiesis is Greek for self creation — the invitation
the invitation.
full documentation (24 photos)
Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo Autopoiesis 2014 — documentation photo
15.01.2015

aethertalk I — hamburg–rösrath

Kai Erdmann (Galerie Kai Erdmann, Hamburg) and Johannes Thies (Rösrathproject) meet for a beer via video chat in THE HUB. 2 laptops, 2 men, 2 beers, 1 videoskype, 1 galleryspace and the internet — trying to question what #NON or metamodernism could be, still no clue

Aethertalk I — two laptops on pedestals, the audience in front of the gallery window
full documentation (8 photos)
Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo Aethertalk I 2015 — documentation photo
06.03. – 15.04.2015

.htaccess

artworks by Giulia Bowinkel & Friedemann Banz, Olia Lialina and Timothy Shearer featuring Nikolas Müller

.htaccess — Banz & Bowinkel augmented-reality work floating in front of the print
Banz & Bowinkel — the print, augmented.
full documentation (33 photos)
.htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo .htaccess 2015 — documentation photo
30.10.2015

exploit & disappear (we just stole it from the internet) part of the wrong biennale

celebrating the opening of The Wrong — New Digital Art Biennale (50+ online pavilions, 40+ IRL embassies worldwide) with a performance/installation by Tanja Ritterbex, Isabella Fürnkäs and Isreal Aten: self-made phone videos meet found internet footage as a perpetual collage, printed onto a bedsheet; Aten types on a laptop on that same bed, his words projected into the room. Bubblegum-pop lyrics, decontextualised, form the soundtrack — a dialogue on self-exploitation and dematerialization

Exploit & Disappear — performer with headphones on a bed, projections above
full documentation (9 photos)
Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo Exploit & Disappear 2015 — documentation photo
06.05.2016

the internet is present (part 2)

"Is the internet still present? Does it transform you? Do we, as a species, evolve?" — after part #1 at HUSSLEHOF, Frankfurt. Artists: Paul Barsch & Tilman Hornig, Ad Minoliti, Shawné Michaelain Holloway, Art Belikov, Felix Breidenbach, Judith Gerke, Nina Kettiger, Tomasz Skibicki, Yung Hurn, Igor Botur, Katharina Zimmerhackl, Benedikt Weisshaupt & Sandra Weber, Benedikt Fischer, VVC · text: Juliane Duft, Reese Riley · curation: Sebastian Zimmerhackl, Manuel Rossner, Benedikt Fischer

The Internet Is Present Part 2 — installation view with theses wall, Mona Lisa print and painted toilet
full documentation (36 photos)
The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo The Internet Is Present Part 2, 2016 — documentation photo
10.03.2017

metamoderne now and never

"what we definitely do not know about metamoderne" — a netart show on a hacked WLAN router, produced with router.gallery, Berlin. The gallery leaves the room: the exhibition is served locally to every phone in reach, no internet, just art. Two things are certain — no one knows what the metamoderne is, and it starts now. With Æther-Design, David Quiles Guillo, Dominik Rinnhofer, ENKI Live, Faith Holland, Götz Gramlich, Igor Štromajer, Julia Vanishtor, Johannes Thies, Jonathan Monaghan, Keren Cytter, Lorna Mills, Marieke Verkoelen, Oliver Haidutschek, Timothy Shearer, Phillip Meier

Router Gallery — a phone showing now.router.gallery, the router on its pedestal behind
now.router.gallery — the show, served locally.
full documentation (30 photos)
Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo Router Gallery 2017 — documentation photo

the blog

perisphere

Our digital publishing platform with a strong focus on off, subculture, creative spaces and new digital art related issues. The blog was started after the last vierwände kunst festival in Düsseldorf. Around 5000 visitors per month came to see what was happening in the subculture and off-scene of the Rhineland area.

perisphere.de — the blue interface on screen
"die metamoderne beginnt jetzt." — perisphere.de
perisphere.de — article view on screen

network

a node among nodes

Digital3mpire never stood alone: it was one knot in a global web of project spaces, blogs and formats dealing with digital art — from the worldwide BYOB series to The Wrong — New Digital Art Biennale, whose 2015 edition opened right here in the hub. The space closed in 2017; the network kept running.

about the organizer

founded and managed by florian kuhlmann

digital3mpire was founded in 2012 and run through 2017 by Florian Kuhlmann — artist, writer, curator and programmer based in Düsseldorf. He initiated the platform, ran THE HUB, edited the perisphere blog and curated or hosted the program, often together with befriended artists and guest curators. The focus of his practice is digitality and the network — and the questions of access, availability and original/copy/unicum that run through everything on this page.

projects — floriankuhlmann.com