The installation explores the integration of militaristic technologies and methods into the intimacies of everyday civilian life. The title comes from a list of the most common words used in marketing campaigns. The installation site was located in a commercial plaza that served as a center for the Oscar Grant Protests in 2009 and the Occupy Movement in Oakland the year before. When designing the installation, I couldn’t help but think about the way technology had mediated so many people’s experiences of those movements. At the time, I was struck by the differences between the augmented bodies of the police force with their kevlar vests, pads, and helmets and the soft bodies of the protesters. This biological vulnerability became a throughline for the installation.
