19-Wargel is a group of 4 video art pieces that investigate the intersections between the human and the machine, the materiality of data, and the effects of technology on sensory and biological experience.
The title arises from the fusion of the terms software, hardware, and angel, suggesting a hybrid being—a cybernetic angel emerging from a corrupted system. The number 19 refers to the year of production, 2019, establishing a temporal marker that reinforces the ephemeral and accelerated digital context.
"Among mine (I make myself rare)
Fruit of "half-luck," of selection
not made
In the gap between the lines
I installed (re)configured in the open points
made refuge where I fit
I don't know how long I can endure
To exist is already an act of resistance
But I remain until I modify the programming of facts."
Signed WARGEL from some damaged computer.
19 Wargel (2:28 min) w/ audio, 2019.
The main work presents WARGEL, a virtual entity that inhabits defective circuits and fragmented files. It resists formatting, reclaiming its own memory and identity within a technological universe that constantly reconfigures and discards information. WARGEL is not just a system error but a reflective agent, challenging the viewer to question to what extent technology shapes behaviors and perceptions of reality.
AVI, a human character within the work, represents the symbiosis between humans and cyberspace. Dependent on technology, he does not perceive the transformations in his own body and mind—a reflection of contemporary society, where digital mediation alters sleep patterns, attention, and identity. The relationship between AVI and WARGEL questions the duality between operator and operated: who controls whom? Who dictates the rules of existence in the virtual universe?
Accompanied by three complementary video art pieces (Chip Beauty, Functional Thread, and **Awakening to Sleep), structured as digital tutorials—a widely recognized and consumed format in the online environment. These pieces ironize the aestheticization of daily life and the naturalization of technological practices that redefine basic needs such as beauty, food, and rest.
Chip Beauty (1:00 min), without sound, 2019.
Wargel struggles with his lack of charisma to try to showcase some products that make his complexion rejuvenate even though he doesn't need it since what he has as a face is just a projection of what humans would associate or like, in a frustrating attempt to stay alive.
Functional Thread (1:00 min), without sound, 2019.
Wargel elaborates a recipe of electronic materials, between wires and artificial flavors, challenging the viewer to experiment with his antics.
Awakening to Sleep (1:00 min), without sound, 2019.
Wargel gives tips on how to get a good night's sleep, with infallible tricks even with the brightness at maximum and the blue light from your devices.
By fusing lo-fi aesthetics, automated gestures, and digital self-diagnosis narratives, 19-Wargel proposes a visual essay on the fragility of human autonomy in the era of artificial intelligence and hyperconnectivity. The work invites the audience to a critical reflection: are we users or products of the system?