Installation with remote controlled weapon and laboratory rat inside

Weapon control detail

The art experiment "11 DAYS" investigated the consequences of surveillance and the use of remote-controlled armed drones. The recipient was put in the position of the drone pilot, who could threaten a lab rat with a functional weapon via the internet. At the end of the 11-day countdown, on March 25, 2015 at 19:00 (CET), the controllable weapon was to be armed. The rat could then have been killed from any smartphone or computer via the internet. Anyone could have become an anonymous perpetrator. However, it was never planned to actually kill the rat.

The installation made it possible to control the weapon via the website 11TAGE.florianmehnert.de and made the lifestream available on the Internet. The installation is fully functional and enables the weapon to be moved and triggered. The controllable weapon is equipped with a webcam on its barrel. The installation puts the viewer in the position of the surveillance officer and the drone pilot. The camera position on the barrel of the gun - the typical first-person shooter perspective - creates a game situation reminiscent of video games.

For 11 days, the lab rat was to be observed around the clock in lifestream and wait to be shot under the threat of a weapon that could be controlled by anyone via the Internet. What was the background to the 11 DAYS art experiment, which was also a social experiment? PUBLICATION: THE ART EXPERIMENT 11 DAYS| Workbiography

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The procedure

Controllable weapon with webcam

The countdown to the project was officially launched on the evening of March 13, 2015. In less than 12 hours, a shitstorm developed on the internet via Facebook, Twitter and in numerous forums and comment sections of online newspapers. Florian Mehnert received hundreds of emails with insults and death threats. The project's website collapsed several times under the load of hits. The project stirred up controversial discussions worldwide.

By Sunday evening, many media outlets around the world had reported on the project. The "11 DAYS" project had generated more attention in a short space of time than could ever have been expected. There was controversial discussion about the project on social networks and in the media. On Tuesday, March 17, Florian Mehnert feared an escalation and ended the art experiment on the evening of March 17 after 6 days.

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