Digital Shadows

What happens when our own digital shadow takes form: tangible, questionable, observing? Who do we entrust with our data, which structures are we aware of, and who acts in the shadows?

Digital Shadows is an art-science project between game and analysis, camouflage and transparency - a reflection on identity in the age of facial recognition, deepfakes, and algorithmic profiling. The focus lies on questions of power, digital and physical identity, visibility, data security, and self-determination in digital space. These themes condense into a narrative confrontation with the ideologies and power structures of contemporary tech giants, referencing figures like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Palantir Technologies to make visible the mechanisms of digital control and surveillance.

The stage piece is based on the project of the same name, a collaboration between the Institute for Networks and Security at Johannes Kepler University Linz, the Circus of Knowledge at JKU, and Transitheart Productions, realised as part of the Ars Electronica Festival 2025. Following the performance, we invite you to a discussion with the audience.