“Signal of the World” is a poem by Varvara & Mar that playfully addresses our daily dependency on internet connectivity, and the ensuing collection of data. The poem is performed by Varvara in the role of a character that represents a Wi-Fi signal, portrayed as a golden idol that is reminiscent of both the statuette appearing in Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), and the robot Maria from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” (1927). The character’s cartoonish features infuse the rendition with a farcical mood, although the content of the poem increasingly becomes upsetting as the idol spouts commands and veers from seductive to authoritarian.
The artists also developed a Snapchat filter for this artwork, as part of a series of videos that take a satirical view on the art market and the cryptocurrency boom, among other subjects. They consciously combine references from popular culture and social media to create content that follows the rules of the attention economy, all while inserting critical commentary with a dose of humor.