Consensus Architects Inc is a conceptual performance/installation by Swedish artist Jonas Lund, exploring online propaganda, misinformation in political campaigns, and how generative AI can be used and misused to sway public opinion. The work will be presented at the Impakt festival in late October 2024.
The installation functions as a startup offering “propaganda as a service.” Lund will take on the role of CEO, guiding participants through the disinformation ecosystem. The public will be invited to join the performance, assuming various roles like political strategists needing misinformation, workers generating fake AI content, or investors funding the chaos.
Upon entering the space, each participant will be assigned a specific role within the disinformation world. This LARP format allows the audience to experience firsthand how easily narratives are manipulated and the difficulties in distinguishing truth from fiction in today’s digital age. As they engage with the installation, participants will witness how disinformation campaigns operate and how deeply they can impact public opinion.
The installation will feature a sleek startup aesthetic, complete with branding, marketing materials, and a functional website. However, as participants dig deeper, they’ll begin to see the cracks in the facade, uncovering contradictions, ethical concerns, and the unsettling ease with which truth is distorted.
Through this immersive performance, Consensus Architects Inc critiques the systemic forces that allow misinformation to thrive while encouraging the audience to reflect on their own vulnerabilities to manipulation. By stepping into a world where propaganda and deception rule, the work challenges participants to question the nature of truth and their role in shaping the narratives that define our society.
