2011 Finalist
Creators: Tim Dallett and Adam Kelly
Nominator: Mireille Bourgeois (Media and Recording Arts)
Seconders: Robert Bean, David Diviney
Investigation 1 is an intriguing interdisciplinary project combining the handiness of do-it-yourself culture with the sophistication of new media, organized by The Artifact Institute and originally presented at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. In a unique blend of relational aesthetics and institutional critique, creators/performers Tim Dallett and Adam Kelly engage the public in documenting, conserving and repurposing over 1,000 discarded electronic devices collected from arts and cultural organizations across Halifax. Investigation 1 has been presented in several venues, achieving considerable public response and motivating visitors to think and talk about sustainability and the ethics of built?in obsolescence in new media.