A Terabyte of Piracy Ain't Art

[castlewise]

I agree with Princess Rose. This is *definitelly* art. Its actually an interesting piece because, if you are willing to think about it, makes you ponder some really deep questions. Is this little black box really worth 5 million dollars? If no then why is our media so overpriced? If yes then why don't we do more to protect people from piracy? Does the box represent 5 million in real dollars or lost sales? What is the difference between the two. Honestly, most art is about topics much less down to earth than piracy.

 

[Silk_Sk]

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." - Oscar Wilde

Whether or not you think it's art, this kid is certainly making a statement about how obvious the gap between price and value is in today's culture. I think that if you're arguing that something isn't art then you've already lost. I am solidly on the side of it being art. To use such a simple idea to make such a complex statement is worth some congratulations in my opinion.

 

[Dogstile]

I usually have trouble with modern art (once I saw a broken snow shovel being displayed), but I actually get this. Doesn't it bring up the idea of how digital data that can be replicated with virtually no cost is assigned a value? A little black box you can buy at any computer store worth $5,000,000 because it's filled with data? And the fact that this is so easy to do?

I'm thinking this. It's not like he's really damaged the companies in any way here (except proving its possible to pirate their stuff and lets be honest here, who didn't know that) and it actually has a point behind it.

Much more of a point to it than a room that turns its light on when you open the door, and off when its closed. (Yes, that exists and its a ridiculously expensive version of my friends living room who had that installed for about £200)

Aside from that, OP: Your comment about it taking about an afternoon is exactly why this is considered art. Its so damn easy to pirate that much worth of data, yet nobody has fought it properly? Why?

Time and effort are not needed to produce art.

Seriously, you're becoming one of my least favorite contributors over the course of a day. I know you're allowed opinions and everything but come on man, not cool.

 

[Joshimodo]

Would have been thought provoking if it was a Terabyte of art images. Could've named it "21st Century Art Gallery". It would've also been "worth" more, and been a comment on how art is valued itself.


As it stands, it's just a hard drive.




To those touting that this is art, it is little more than a jab at the information age. It's hardly thought provoking, culturally significant, or of any emotional impact to anyone, including the "artist".

 

[emeraldrafael]

While i'll defend art wihout the deep and complex understanding that an art student may have, I think when you insrt the words "theft", "steal", and/or "Piracy" its not so much art as it is you just committing a crime and being dumbass enough to let the world know.

Of course, he probably got away with this piracy cause he called it art, but I'd like to think in the back of my mind that immediately after he left the gala, cops showed up with a bunch of companies representatives saying we'd like a word with you sir.

 

[drummond13]

See developers? We're not playing pirated games, we're just putting them on a pedestal somewhere!

/piracy debate forever

 

[kasperbbs]

If thats art then i know a shitload of artists.

 

[Frostbite3789]

I've purchased a ton of games legally. Can I go place my hard drive in a counter-piece next to his?

A comment on not being a dick. ART.

OT: Hey, what a shocker, a lot of people making something out of nothing and trying to legitimize bullcrap.

Counter point: R Mutt

If you know anything about modern art, you know about that.

 

[Kekkles]

Incredibly pretentious or just tongue-in-cheek. You decide. Though it's in an art gallery? Total pretention then.

 

[rickynumber24]

Like I said, I usually don't have a strong opinion on what is art and what is not, but spending time stealing content - even if many of the games and other content might be out of print - and putting it on display just doesn't impress me. To say nothing of literally putting piracy on a pedestal, Palou was just lazy and went for the big catch-all collections instead of curating what ended up on the drive.

I mean, if he had hand-picked each piece of content to be meaningful or culturally important, at least that would have been something. But with a high speed internet connection, this "5 million dollars, 1 Terabyte" might have taken Palou an afternoon to download.

And that's just not art at all.

**sigh**

I find it really sad how many people have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to art.

This project is most certainly art, because it makes a comment about today's society. Art is not (just) about looking nice or creativity - it's about chronicling who we are as a people.

At the moment, according to this artist, we're a society that makes it possible to pirate 5 million dollars with comparatively little effort.

The artist isn't putting piracy up on a pedestal - he's CRITICIZING our society due to how easy piracy is. Why list the sources? Perhaps to get those sites shut down? Or perhaps to point out how many of these sites there are, and how no one is doing anything about it.

This piece is a powerful anti-piracy message. If you don't like it, fine, but don't say it isn't art when it very clearly is. People in glass houses arguing that video games are art shouldn't throw "this isn't art" stones when they don't even understand the piece.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of why this qualifies as art... but then I'm going to turn around and disagree with what it means.

I have a terabyte hard drive too. It's mostly empty because I haven't bothered to fill it with stuff. (although it'll likely fill up with backups if I remember to do them...) That hard drive cost me $100.

What does it say about our society that you can fill a $100 piece of hardware with bits that people claim are worth more money than you're likely to make in your entire life unless your average salary over your life isn't nearly in the top tax bracket? (and that's if you have no living expenses...)

Admittedly, he went for the low-hanging fruit, for the most part: Enterprise software is expensive as hell because corporations can generally afford it, and older software actually faced space constraints now only faced in embedded systems now, so those bits also have a high value density. Still, we have data storage capacity that far outstrips our ability to buy that data. I believe this means something is priced wrong.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Error 404: Art Not Found.

Also why was this guy not arrested?

 

[GeorgW]

I think this is art. It's a comment on a cultural trend and its availability, for good or bad. At least that's what it is to me. I like it.
Also, you are really late, this story broke like a week or two ago.
EDIT:

Like I said, I usually don't have a strong opinion on what is art and what is not, but spending time stealing content - even if many of the games and other content might be out of print - and putting it on display just doesn't impress me. To say nothing of literally putting piracy on a pedestal, Palou was just lazy and went for the big catch-all collections instead of curating what ended up on the drive.

I mean, if he had hand-picked each piece of content to be meaningful or culturally important, at least that would have been something. But with a high speed internet connection, this "5 million dollars, 1 Terabyte" might have taken Palou an afternoon to download.

And that's just not art at all.

**sigh**

I find it really sad how many people have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to art.

This project is most certainly art, because it makes a comment about today's society. Art is not (just) about looking nice or creativity - it's about chronicling who we are as a people.

At the moment, according to this artist, we're a society that makes it possible to pirate 5 million dollars with comparatively little effort.

The artist isn't putting piracy up on a pedestal - he's CRITICIZING our society due to how easy piracy is. Why list the sources? Perhaps to get those sites shut down? Or perhaps to point out how many of these sites there are, and how no one is doing anything about it.

This piece is a powerful anti-piracy message. If you don't like it, fine, but don't say it isn't art when it very clearly is. People in glass houses arguing that video games are art shouldn't throw "this isn't art" stones when they don't even understand the piece.

You said it so much better than I.

 

[Space Jawa]

Society has just reached a new low. It's things like this that make me ashamed to be part of the human race.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

So? I have 2 terabyte hard-drives full of hentai and you don't see me bragging, although I think my tissue collage is art, its coming along nicely. *nudge nudge*

 

[hansari]

Look at that! Someone put video games in an art gallery AND managed to make gamers pissed off about it.

Color me impressed.

 

[No_Remainders]

I smell hypocrisy in this post.

Escapist clearly doesn't like piracy and warns/close threads with anything remotely promoting HOWEVER a link in the OP goes directly to a page where you can access pirate software.

Technically that promotes piracy.

Tut at you Greg, tut indeed.

Palou included a list of all of the files the drive contains [http://www.art404.com/5million1terrabyte.pdf]

Linking to pirate software. Bad Escapist post.

This was one of those posts that could bite you in the arse. Now when people get a warning for mentioning pirate software i'm going to link to this post and remind them their own posters advertise it themselves.

Yeah, I was thinking about that.

I'd bet that nothing comes of it though, which is utterly ridiculous.

 

[vivster]

Like I said, I usually don't have a strong opinion on what is art and what is not, but spending time stealing content - even if many of the games and other content might be out of print - and putting it on display just doesn't impress me. To say nothing of literally putting piracy on a pedestal, Palou was just lazy and went for the big catch-all collections instead of curating what ended up on the drive.

I mean, if he had hand-picked each piece of content to be meaningful or culturally important, at least that would have been something. But with a high speed internet connection, this "5 million dollars, 1 Terabyte" might have taken Palou an afternoon to download.

And that's just not art at all.

**sigh**

I find it really sad how many people have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to art.

This project is most certainly art, because it makes a comment about today's society. Art is not (just) about looking nice or creativity - it's about chronicling who we are as a people.

At the moment, according to this artist, we're a society that makes it possible to pirate 5 million dollars with comparatively little effort.

The artist isn't putting piracy up on a pedestal - he's CRITICIZING our society due to how easy piracy is. Why list the sources? Perhaps to get those sites shut down? Or perhaps to point out how many of these sites there are, and how no one is doing anything about it.

This piece is a powerful anti-piracy message. If you don't like it, fine, but don't say it isn't art when it very clearly is. People in glass houses arguing that video games are art shouldn't throw "this isn't art" stones when they don't even understand the piece.

well said... well said indeed

also
does that mean since the companies own part of this art piece that they can now be called artists themselves?

 

[GeorgW]

I smell hypocrisy in this post.

Escapist clearly doesn't like piracy and warns/close threads with anything remotely promoting HOWEVER a link in the OP goes directly to a page where you can access pirate software.

Technically that promotes piracy.

Tut at you Greg, tut indeed.

Palou included a list of all of the files the drive contains [http://www.art404.com/5million1terrabyte.pdf]

Linking to pirate software. Bad Escapist post.

This was one of those posts that could bite you in the arse. Now when people get a warning for mentioning pirate software i'm going to link to this post and remind them their own posters advertise it themselves.

And yes, before anyone questions my logic a link that goes directly to pirate software IS advertising it. Remember folks, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

I refer you to The Escapist Official Moderation FAQ. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.309173-Moderation-FAQ#12480247] Specifically this part:

[li]Is featured content exempt from the rules?[/li]

Yes. Featured content may break the rules if the creator wishes to do so, but remember that featured content is solicited material with intending to evoke discussion. The comment thread however is part of the forums and subject to moderation.

 

[TheDarkestDerp]

I Just can't keep up with all this insanity...Wait. I just realized something. My buddy has over a terabyte of porn...is that art?

Between the original subject matter, and about half of these commenters, I'm agreeing with Farnsworth too...