A Conversation with Berna

Atop a desk sits a fax machine, a technology that you haven’t used in years or, perhaps, your only memory of it is from having seen it in old TV shows. Curious, you approach the object. As you walk closer, the phone rings, as if anticipating you. You grab the phone and hear a matter-of-fact voice introducing itself as Berna, inviting you to press one to begin. A Conversation with Berna (Vallverdu, 2024) is an interactive piece that 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 (Mageswari, Manoharan and Poomalai, 2022). The piece emphasizes a phenomenological approach, urging the audience to physically experience data. While VR has been used to explore concepts like big data (Raghunathan, 2015), Berna provides a sensory experience where data is rendered in touchable paper form, engaging our sense of smell, weight, and tactility. In an era dominated by AI, Berna poses a question: should creative technology focus solely on advanced AI and VR, or should it address practical, everyday issues?