Internet Yami-Ichi, the 'black market of the internet,' lands in Bologna

Internet Yami-Ichi, a flea market for internet-inspired objects, arrives in Bologna on November 9, 2019, at DAS, organized by the association metoche in collaboration with artist Sofia Braga. Conceived in Tokyo in 2012 by the artist collective IDPW (a 'secret society dating back over 100 years'), the event has previously traveled to New York, Berlin, Moscow, Seoul, and Madrid. The Japanese name evokes a 'black market,' reflecting its pirate, unconventional spirit. The initiative responds to frustration over the internet's transformation from a free, experimental space to one dominated by corporations and restrictive copyright laws. Participants are invited to bring web-related ideas into physical form—selling objects like bracelets made of network cables, human tweeters, memetic cookies, packages of likes, cardboard dropboxes, 3D-printed portraits, and lottery tickets for followers. The only rule: items must be internet-related and not dangerous or illegal. A call for proposals is open until October 1, 2019, with selection if submissions exceed space capacity. The goal is to encourage face-to-face encounters and rethink relationships with technology.