Virtual Mass by Antoine Martin

An artist book by Switzerland-based artist Antoine Martin.

For over two years, Martin investigated insecam.com, a website that streams in real time the footage of poorly secured surveillance cameras installed around the world. Among the phenomena he observed, he focused particularly on the “virtual mass”, which expanded rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At a time when online gatherings and the digitisation of information are becoming the norm, this book highlights the ubiquity of remote surveillance while also revealing the role of new technologies in liturgical spaces. The screenshots, bound in a volume modelled after a missal, ultimately confront the viewer with the question of whether the presence of God can be digitalised.

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Title: Virtual Mass
Artist: Antoine Martin
Publisher: RVB Books, 2023
Format: Hardcover, leather-bound, gold hotfoil, gilt-edged
Size: 115 × 150 mm
Pages: 224, with 97 images
Language: French/English
Edition: First edition
ISBN: 978-2-492175-28-2
Price: ¥6,710