In the transdisciplinary performative essay We Have Always Been Brainrotted, Aksioma joins forces with THE VOID collective.
The essay, interwoven with audio-visual elements that will be composed on the spot, addresses the prevailing imperative of contemporary social media cultural production, brainrot, which tends towards a form of vertical video defined primarily by unconditional algorithmic curation.
THE VOID (T.V.) is a project that questions the boundaries of audiovisual publishing and creates a platform for sharing the findings of online researchers. It achieves this by establishing a hybrid recording and broadcasting studio that uses a green screen to add live-coded visuals and multi-layered images, broadcasting the event in person and online. For this edition, the collective is expanding into THE VOID +, joined by a group of local artists and the Aksioma team.
We Have Always Been Brainrotted addresses the elusive definition of the cultural phenomenon of brainrot. The performative essay attempts to distance itself from understanding brainrot as a genre of content or a social media trend, instead conceiving of it as an imperative and true expression of algorithmic culture. Through an examination of digital holes, peripheral media, and operational images, it anchors brainrot as a reflection of the intertwining of technological, cultural, social, and economic factors.
THE VOID + “band” consists of members of the Amsterdam Institute of Network Cultures (INC) Tommaso Campagna, Jordi Viader Guerrero, and Giulia Timis, intermedia artist and VJ Neža Knez, DJ and producer Tisa Troha aka msn gf, and researcher Lea Sande.
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The Band
Lea Sande: SINGER (research, text, voice)
Tisa Troha: SYNTH (research, text editor, musical performer)
Neža Knez: SCREEN (visual performer, video editor, graphic design)
Giulia Timis: CAMERA (3D visuals, camera, live image processing)
Jordi Viader Guerrero: DESKTOP (research, text editor, visual performer, video editor)
Tommaso Campagna: MODEM (director of photography, live streaming, stage design, video editor)
The Roadies
Oskar Kandare: live camera, debugger
Valter Udovičić: stage technician, sound engineer
The Managers
Janez F. Janša: fat boss with cigar
Marcela Okretič: production and tour manager
Ema Maznik Antić: stage manager
The Promoter
Neža Bukovec
Free admission.
THE AUTHORS
Lea Sande is a researcher, journalist and editor. She produces a monthly programme called Povratne zanke (Feedback Loops) at Radio Študent, where she discusses internet theory, culture, and literature. She coedits the book series multithread and works as a student researcher at the Black Hole Photography research project. She does her work in the field of sociology of technology, focusing on the role of computation in contemporary capitalism, new developments in AI, and the cultural derivatives of emerging technologies. She studies sociology of culture at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana.
Tisa Troha is an architect, music producer, and DJ. Her work in both music and architecture focuses on the interplay between technology, pop culture, and heritage. She has performed at festivals and clubs both in Slovenia and abroad. With the collectives Nimaš Izbire and Ustanova, she organises events at the intersection of queer, club, and internet culture. Since 2021, she is part of the creative team behind Šum, a journal for art theory and criticism.
Neža Knez is a new media artist specialising in graphic and interactive communication. Her works, which combine animation, video, computer-generated imagery, and music, have been presented, among others, at Lighting Guerilla, DobraVaga, Kino Šiška, and osmo/za. She is a member of the Beam Team and part of the V2V community.
Tommaso Campagna is a visual artist, researcher at the Institute of Network Cultures (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), and member of the audio-visual research platform THE VOID. His practice spans documentary film, curatorial projects, and academic contributions on video as a medium for critical inquiry and publishing experimentation. His work has been presented at Locarno Film Festival (CH), Beeld & Geluid (NL), and Hangar.org (ES), among others.
Giulia Timis is an artist and researcher specialising in virtual and mixed reality, incorporating experimental formats such as radio, performance, and ethnographic research into her work to investigate the affective and political dimensions of digital presence. She hosts workshops and lectures and has presented her work at Hangar (ES), Louisiana Museum (DK), IMPAKT (NL), and Ars Electronica (AT), among others.
Jordi Viader Guerrero is a practice-based researcher with a background in production and philosophy. His work bridges critical theory with tactical media practices. He is a member of the audio-visual research platform THE VOID. He has exhibited in venues like Het Nieuwe Instituut (NL), the Porto Design Biennale (PT), Locarno Film Festival (CH), and Medialab Matadero (ES), among others, and published in journals such as Philosophy & Technology.
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Credits
We have always been brainrotted
Author: THE VOID +
Kino Šiška team:
Jasna Jernejšek: coordination
Matevž Ftičar, Matej Marinček, Maj Pušica, Jure Vlahovič: technicians
Organised and produced by:
Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana, 2026
In partnership with:
Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture
INC – Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam
THE VOID
Radio Študent
Supported by:
The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
The City of Ljubljana
Italian Cultural Institute in Ljubljana
Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
Technical support:
Kersnikova, Projekt Atol, Mladinski center Velenje, konS ≡ Platform for Contemporary Investigative Art
