The temporary platform project Forking Room, which addresses phenomena commonly faced by contemporary society, technology, and art, will be held under the title 《Left Tech》 from April 16 to April 20 at Post Territory Ujeongguk.

Since its inception in 2017, Forking Room has been a recurring project and a temporary platform that focuses on the phenomena emerging at the intersection of art, technology, and society. It encompasses research, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and talks. The project has focused on research and prototyping as a means to reframe contemporary social, economic, and ecological conditions. It has explored these themes through autonomous theories and methods, while documenting and proposing new approaches throughout the process.

This year’s Forking Room, titled 《Left Tech》, is centered on means of regaining technology that has been lost to the right as well as means of re-mutating technology that has been deformed by the left. In light of global polarization and the hyper-capitalization of technocrats, this edition unravels a web of interpretations surrounding the politicization of technology and the technologization of politics.

1. Research Lab

Ten researchers participating in this research lab explored various perspectives: some positioned themselves within the realm of the internet/digital space to examine current phenomena; others reflected on how humanity and individuality can be diminished by technology; while some approached their research from the standpoint of technology users, focusing on aspects related to technological infrastructure.

All research outcomes will be exhibited in the gallery and later uploaded online.


 
2. Exhibition

The exhibition—featuring works by Bahar Noorizadeh, Dowon Yoo, Silvia Dal Dosso, Ihun, Ubac Studio, Sangyoon Lee, and GORE-TECHS®—illuminates the intricate ties between technology and capital today, and addresses marginalized or deliberately obscured entities or phenomena within those relationships.

The exhibition will be held from April 16 to 20 at Post Territory Ujeongguk (42, Dongmak-ro 20-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul), open daily from 9 am to 7 pm.

3. Talk & Forking Group & Performance

The talk program, held both online and offline, will cover topics such as biometric authentication technologies, large language model interfaces, online space and feminism, as well as artificial intelligence and copyleft. Discussions will also critically examine capitalist and colonialist technologies within socio-political contexts.

The Forking Groups are small gatherings where participants come together to “fork” (branch out) from a shared topic. The first Forking Group, titled “Could Large Language Models Contribute to Equitable Disaster Management in the Era of Climate Disasters?”, will explore the intersection of disaster research and LLMs (Large Language Models) in collaboration with the Listen to the City team. The second Forking Group, “Me, Fascism, and Artificial Intelligence”, led by Koh Achim, will facilitate an active discussion around techno-fascism.

Through an open call, stuffstuff, a collective invited to this year’s program, will present a lecture performance on gendered technologies. The format takes the shape of a lecture while blending in performative elements, engaging critically with how technology intersects with gender politics.
For more details on participation and program information, visit the Forking Room website: https://www.forkingroom.kr/

References

• 포킹룸 2025 (Forking Room 2025)