Ed Fornieles Discusses Modern Family Exhibition and Digital Archetypes at Chisenhale Gallery

Ed Fornieles explores the intersection of family life and technology in his exhibition Modern Family at Chisenhale Gallery in London, running through 9 November 2014. The artist views the family as a platform for technological congregation, where archetypes facilitate navigation of social interactions. Fornieles references previous works like Maybe New Friends (2013) and Character Date, which involved performative online interactions at Frieze Art Fair in 2012. In the Chisenhale show, he steps back to mimic data-driven organizations like Facebook or the NSA, using screens that aggregate user data, search terms, and news stories. The exhibition features a live feed that blends fiction and reality, with lighting programmed to replicate LA sun coverage. Fornieles incorporates autobiographical elements, including a portrait with his ex-girlfriend, reflecting on personal loss and expectations at age 30. He discusses how digital tools aid in creating fictions that become realities, touching on themes of the American Dream. The artist emphasizes the impact of forces like terrorism or coolness over strict reality-fiction dichotomies.