A Conversation with Berna

by Diana Vallverdu (she / her) A Conversation with Berna is an interactive piece performed by the fax-machine-performer-robot Berna. The piece speaks to the banality of the present from the banality of the past, using obsolete technology to reflect on our current digital landscape. It reminds us that familiar technology can vanish rapidly, and that data, often perceived as intangible, has a physical footprint. Berna, in conversation with installation visitors, reminds us how important it is to slow down, to breath, to simply exist. Not only that, but Berna also invites participants to join The Conscious Social Media, a Berna-hosted social media that allows us to truly connect to each other, to share consciously, deliberately, and to pay attention to what others are posting in the social media beyond dopamine-addictive infinite scrolling.