Use Fire to Connect to the Wi-Fi Router Inside This Boulder

Berlin-based conceptual artist Aram Bartholl combines nature and technology with his latest art installation “Keepalive,” a 1.5 ton boulder that will make the technologically savvy get in touch with their survivalist side. If it wasn’t for the black soot running up its one side, there are no other telltale signs that within the inconspicuous boulder on the grounds of the Springhornhof in Neuenkirchen, Germany is a wealth of information stored in a wi-fi router that could only be triggered by heat. Once powered up, visitors can use their smartphone to connect to it and download PDF files with subjects ranging from survival guides to random factoids such as a “Do It Yourself Divorce Guide” and “Boy Basics 101: A Survival Guide for Parenting Male Tweens.” As a side note, some of the files uploaded on the router could have been from other visitors and if you’re thinking of paying “KeepAlive” a visit, an appointment with the landowner must be arranged in order to keep people just randomly starting fires under big rocks.

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