Introduction
batch'77 is a contemporary Brazilian art collective that emerged in São Paulo in the early 2010s. The group’s name, stylised with an apostrophe, references the birth year of its founding members (1977) and signals a conceptual engagement with the idea of “batch processing” in digital media. The collective is distinguished by its interdisciplinary approach, integrating video art, performance, sound design, and interactive installations. Over the past decade, batch'77 has participated in both national and international exhibitions, contributed to academic discussions on new media art, and maintained an active presence on digital platforms. The collective’s oeuvre reflects a critical interrogation of urban experience, surveillance culture, and the politics of digital production.
History and Background
Founding
The collective was officially founded in 2014 by a group of visual artists and technologists who met during graduate studies in media arts at the Universidade de São Paulo. The core founders - Mariana Alves, Thiago Costa, and Rafael Silva - shared a common interest in the manipulation of digital footage and an awareness of São Paulo’s rapidly evolving urban landscape. In 2015, they formalized batch'77’s mission, adopting a cooperative model that emphasized collective authorship over individual credit.
Early Development
During its formative years, batch'77 experimented with low‑budget production techniques, often reusing footage from public broadcasts and social media. The group’s early projects were screened at small experimental venues, such as the Casa do Olho and the Galeria 20x20, where they attracted attention for their subversive use of surveillance imagery and their playful manipulation of time‑stamps. In 2016, batch'77 produced its first full‑length video installation, “Fragmentação Urbana,” which ran for an entire month at the Museu da Imagem e do Som.
Institutional Recognition
By 2018, batch'77’s reputation had expanded beyond São Paulo. The collective was invited to participate in the São Paulo Biennale of Visual Arts and received a grant from the Fundação Carlos Sampaio to create a public art piece titled “Banda Urbana.” The project involved a network of low‑cost cameras placed across the city, capturing and aggregating footage in real time. The resulting installation was displayed in the Largo do Arouche, engaging city residents in a participatory dialogue about urban surveillance.
International Presence
In 2019, batch'77 represented Brazil at the International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Ljubljana, where it presented a mixed media performance called “Matriz de Dados.” The collective’s presence at the biennial was accompanied by a workshop series on “Digital Ethics in Art.” Subsequent projects were exhibited in venues across Europe, the United States, and Asia, establishing batch'77 as a significant voice in new media art circles.
Key Concepts and Theoretical Foundations
Batch Processing and Digital Culture
Central to batch'77’s aesthetic is the notion of batch processing - an algorithmic method in which data is handled in grouped sequences rather than individually. This concept translates metaphorically into the collective’s manipulation of visual media, where disparate clips are assembled into a coherent narrative through repeated iteration. The process mirrors the industrialization of image production in contemporary media, allowing batch'77 to comment on the commodification of visual data.
Urban Surveillance and Public Space
The collective frequently interrogates the relationship between surveillance technology and public space. By appropriating footage from CCTV cameras, traffic monitoring systems, and smartphone feeds, batch'77 exposes the invisible layers of observation that shape urban life. Their work often juxtaposes public and private spheres, highlighting tensions between freedom, safety, and privacy.
Temporal Fragmentation and Memory
Batch'77 employs techniques that fragment and recombine temporal sequences, creating a sense of dislocation and memory. This approach aligns with theories of postmodern temporality, where time is non-linear and subject to manipulation. By reassembling archival footage, the collective challenges conventional narratives of progress and invites viewers to reconsider historical continuity.
Cooperative Authorship and Decentralization
The collective’s structural model promotes shared authorship, decentralizing creative authority. This approach reflects broader debates in contemporary art about authorship, authorship credit, and the role of the individual in collective creation. Batch'77’s cooperative framework encourages the integration of diverse perspectives and technical skill sets, facilitating cross-disciplinary experimentation.
Artistic Practice
Video Art
Video remains the primary medium of batch'77. Projects range from short experimental pieces to multi‑room installations spanning several hours. Techniques include time‑remapping, frame‑interpolation, and the layering of audio tracks. Batch'77 often works with publicly available footage, recontextualizing it through visual distortion, color grading, and overlaying textual commentary.
Performance
Performance events frequently involve live manipulation of video feeds. Participants may interact with digital screens, manipulating inputs via gestures or voice commands. The collective has staged interactive performances in public squares, museums, and private galleries, emphasizing the fluid boundary between observer and participant.
Sound Design
Soundscapes are integral to batch'77’s installations, providing an additional layer of narrative. They employ field recordings from urban environments - traffic noise, pedestrian chatter, machinery sounds - and transform them into ambient textures. In some works, audio is synchronized with visual elements to reinforce thematic concerns about noise pollution and the sensory overload of contemporary city life.
Interactive Installations
Batch'77’s installations often incorporate sensor networks, motion tracking, and real‑time data processing. For example, in “Banda Urbana,” wearable devices distributed to city residents captured biometric data that informed the live visual feed. Such projects illustrate the collective’s commitment to participatory art and the democratization of the creative process.
Major Projects and Installations
Fragmentação Urbana (2016)
This installation consisted of a series of looping video screens placed along a corridor in the Museu da Imagem e do Som. Each screen displayed a fragment of São Paulo’s cityscape, juxtaposed with historical footage of the city’s construction. Viewers could interact with touch panels to alter the sequence of frames, thereby experiencing the mutable nature of urban memory.
Banda Urbana (2018)
A public art project in Largo do Arouche that deployed 30 low‑cost cameras throughout São Paulo’s central district. The system captured footage in real time, which was aggregated by batch'77’s software and displayed on a 12‑meter LED wall. The installation invited city residents to observe the city from an aggregated perspective, prompting discussions about surveillance, community, and urban dynamics.
Matriz de Dados (2019)
At the International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Ljubljana, batch'77 presented a performance that involved projecting data streams from global social media platforms onto a projected screen. Participants could influence the visual output by sending text messages to a dedicated phone line, resulting in a live commentary on the flow of information and the collective nature of digital discourse.
Echoes of the Metro (2021)
A multimedia installation that explored the acoustic and visual atmosphere of São Paulo’s underground train system. The work combined recorded sounds from the metro, motion‑captured footage of commuters, and generative visuals that responded to real‑time input from an array of microphones installed in the platform. The installation was installed in the Centro Cultural do Município de São Paulo and was well received for its immersive representation of subterranean urban life.
Data Mosaic (2023)
Data Mosaic is a large‑scale digital sculpture composed of thousands of individual data points, each representing a piece of publicly available information such as weather reports, traffic data, and social media posts. The sculpture, housed in the Praça da República, employs LED lights that change color and intensity based on the real‑time data, creating a living representation of the city’s digital pulse.
Exhibitions and Collaborations
São Paulo Biennale of Visual Arts (2018)
Batch'77’s participation in this biennial provided a platform to showcase “Banda Urbana.” The collective engaged in panel discussions on the ethics of surveillance and the role of art in urban policy.
International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Ljubljana (2019)
The group presented “Matriz de Dados,” which was featured in the main exhibition area and received positive critical reception for its innovative use of real‑time data in performance art.
Venice Biennale, New Media Pavilion (2020)
Batch'77 collaborated with the Italian institute for contemporary art to produce a joint installation titled “Crossing Borders.” The project examined cross‑cultural exchange through the lens of data migration.
Art Basel, Miami Beach (2022)
The collective presented “Echoes of the Metro” in a specially curated space, attracting international media coverage and generating a dialogue about public transit as a subject of contemporary art.
Berlin Art Week (2023)
During this week, batch'77 exhibited “Data Mosaic” in partnership with the Museum für Gegenwart, highlighting the integration of data science and visual art.
Collaborative Projects
- With the Centro Cultural de São Paulo: “Urban Sounds” (2017) – a sound installation featuring recordings from street musicians and commuters.
- With the Universidade de São Paulo’s Department of Computer Science: “Algorithmic Landscapes” (2021) – a joint research and exhibition project exploring generative visualizations of city infrastructure.
- With the Brazilian Digital Arts Initiative: “Citizen Data Lab” (2024) – a participatory platform inviting citizens to contribute personal data for artistic use.
Critical Reception
Reviewers have praised batch'77 for its innovative integration of digital technology and critical social commentary. Critics note the collective’s capacity to transform everyday surveillance footage into evocative visual narratives that challenge viewers’ perceptions of urban life.
Academic journals have highlighted batch'77’s contribution to the discourse on new media art, particularly in the context of Latin American digital culture. Scholars argue that the collective’s cooperative model serves as a counterpoint to the individualistic paradigm prevalent in contemporary art.
Some critics have expressed concern about the ethical implications of using surveillance footage without explicit consent. Batch'77 has addressed these concerns by obtaining public domain material and implementing anonymization protocols in its works.
Overall, the collective’s reception underscores its significance as a vehicle for critical engagement with digital culture, urban politics, and collective creativity.
Members and Structure
Founding Members
- Mariana Alves – Visual artist, curator, and project manager.
- Thiago Costa – Digital media specialist, sound designer, and coordinator.
- Rafael Silva – Video artist and software developer.
Current Members
Batch'77’s membership is fluid, welcoming artists, technologists, and students on a project‑by‑project basis. As of 2024, the collective includes eight active members, each contributing distinct skill sets.
Governance
The collective operates under a consensus‑based decision‑making process. Meetings are held monthly to discuss ongoing projects, budget allocations, and strategic direction. Financial resources are pooled and managed by a rotating treasurer.
Collaborative Partnerships
Batch'77 maintains formal collaborations with several academic institutions, museums, and NGOs. These partnerships facilitate resource sharing, joint research, and expanded outreach.
Influence and Legacy
Batch'77 has influenced a new generation of Brazilian artists who engage with digital media and participatory practices. The collective’s emphasis on cooperative authorship has inspired similar models in other art communities across Latin America.
In the broader context of new media art, batch'77’s practice exemplifies how surveillance technology can be repurposed for critical reflection. Their works have been cited in scholarly discussions on the ethics of data in art, contributing to emerging frameworks that balance artistic freedom with societal responsibility.
Moreover, the collective’s projects have fostered public dialogue about urban surveillance, data privacy, and civic engagement. By transforming passive observation into active participation, batch'77 has helped shape contemporary understandings of the relationship between art, technology, and society.
External Links
Official website, social media profiles, and digital archives are maintained by batch'77. These platforms provide access to project documentation, behind‑the‑scenes material, and interactive experiences that extend the collective’s artistic reach.
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