All posts tagged: Masse

Venice Biennale Jury Resigns En Masse

Venice Biennale Jury Resigns En Masse

Published by José Betancourt

The jury for the 2026 Venice Biennale, which awards the exhibition’s top prizes, announced Thursday that it had resigned. The news was posted to the Instagram account of the journal e-flux, providing no reasoning for the decision. The statement, in full, reads: “As of 30 April 2026, we, the international jury selected by Koyo Kouoh, Artistic Director of the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia In Minor Keys, have resigned. We do so in acknowledgment of our Statement of Intention issued on 22 April 2026.” Related Articles The statement was signed by the five members: Solange Oliveira Farks (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. The jury was announced on by the Biennale on April 22, with a release saying that because of Kouoh’s unexpected death in May 2025, the four-person board of the Biennale had selected the jury. Shortly after they were announced, the jury issued a lengthy statement, published by e-flux on April 23, in which they said they would not consider national pavilions by any countries who …

Cities Are Shredding Their AI Surveillance Contracts en Masse

Cities Are Shredding Their AI Surveillance Contracts en Masse

Published by José Betancourt

Since the start of 2025, at least 30 cities have canceled their contracts with Flock Safety, the AI surveillance company whose CEO wants to end all crime within the decade by blanketing the country in ever-watchful security cameras. That startling figure comes courtesy of NPR, which reports that concerned activists are putting mounting pressure on cities to cut ties with the company. “We are seeing a lot more momentum,” Will Freeman, a Colorado-based organizer who runs the website DeFlock.org, told the broadcaster. “I expect there to be more cities dropping Flock.” The grassroots campaigns have successfully booted Flock from cities like Flagstaff, Arizona, Eugene Oregon, and Santa Cruz, California. “In the end, it was just clear that this wasn’t going to be a technology that was going to be well received or that we could continue to use,” Flagstaff mayor Becky Daggett told NPR, reflecting on community outrage over the devices. DeFlock is an open-source web app designed to track license plate readers throughout the United States. While Flock is the biggest, it’s not the …