Through eight multidisciplinary works spanning interactive installation, generative video, sound, and sculptural assemblage, this new media exhibition by experimental media collective DOC Studio, explores the parallel obsolescence of machines and people in the digital age.
From algorithmic burnout to e-waste aesthetics, We Are Both Obsolete examines what it means to live in systems designed to fail.
“This exhibition emerged from the quiet violence of technological acceleration,” says Jamie Barbara of DOC Studio. “We wanted to explore how not only devices, but entire ways of being, thinking, and working, are discarded in the name of progress. It’s a shared disposability, engineered by design.”
DOC Studio is an experimental media collective exploring the overlaps between digital systems and physical space. Their output spans interactive installations, generative 3D worlds, and spatial audio environments grounded in technical experimentation and play. From responsive sculptures to dream-like environments and layered soundscapes, their work invites exploration through shifting modes of perception.
Each piece in the exhibition offers a distinct reflection on technological decay—ranging from corrupted systems and nostalgic interfaces to sculptural reinterpretations of e-waste. Much of the work began with outdated or broken components, letting their constraints shape new forms.
MSA President Arch. Adrian Mamo expresses the MSA’s pride in hosting such a thought-provoking exhibition. “DOC Studio is tackling themes we all live with – planned obsolescence, fractured focus, digital burnout,” he says. “This is a forward-looking show that feels very of-the-moment, and the MSA is proud to provide a platform for artists engaging so boldly with the challenges of our time.”
We Are Both Obsolete runs from 29 May to 26 June 2025 at the Art Galleries of the Malta Society of Arts, Republic Street, Valletta. Entrance is free.
For opening hours and further details, visit www.artsmalta.org/events or follow the MSA on Facebook.
