2018
single channel video, 110 min, looping,
torrent file, video installation

open source (entertainment forever) is a single-channel video project that interrogates the intersections of digital culture, media ownership, and the concept of information freedom within online communities. Drawing on personal experiences as an active participant in private peer-to-peer networks, Travis examines these closed, digital ecosystems where endless streams of media—films, music, software, books—are freely exchanged among community members. This work emerges from a conviction that digital information should exist openly, accessible to all for the betterment of knowledge and society. At its core, open source (entertainment forever) critiques the proprietary grip of modern streaming platforms, which have redefined how we consume media and imposed new norms around digital ownership and access.

In contrast to these subscription-based services, private torrenting communities embody a form of digital anarchy: media is not bound by corporate control, and algorithms do not dictate access. In developing this project, Travis reflects on the transition from digital ownership to rented access, where personalization algorithms dictate endless "recommended" content, subtly guiding our tastes and viewing habits. The promise of entertainment is now endless, yet constrained by proprietary algorithms that prioritize engagement over discovery. These algorithms create a feedback loop, feeding users content that aligns with predetermined patterns, reinforcing trends and limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.

To manifest these ideas visually and aurally, open source (entertainment forever) presents an amalgamation of hundreds of blockbuster movies sourced from these private networks, layered in a manner that renders both imagery and audio into a chaotic blur. Each layer—iconic films recognizable yet distorted—becomes part of an abstracted wall of sound and image, overwhelming the senses and mirroring the unending stream of entertainment available in the digital era. The result is an experience where the viewer is immersed in a cacophony that embodies the paradox of "entertainment forever": endless media that is simultaneously omnipresent and unintelligible, accessible yet inaccessible in its coherence.

This layered audiovisual chaos speaks to the saturation and disposability of digital media in contemporary life. By presenting blockbuster films—cultural touchstones now abstracted and stripped of individual meaning—open source (entertainment forever) invites viewers to confront the impact of algorithmic curation and question the nature of their engagement with media. Are we, as consumers, engaging authentically with culture, or merely absorbing content through a passive and filtered experience? The work challenges the audience to reflect on their role within this digital landscape, where endless media consumption meets restricted access and curated autonomy, pushing us to consider what we lose when digital culture becomes something we rent rather than own.