Embassy (2024)

Embassy moves between the ruins of an ancient world. Its six wheels cross timeworn terrains, collecting fragments of forgotten radio waves and electronic whispers. More than an embassy, it is a mobile terminal for vectorial exploration, programmed to penetrate the unknown, connecting with remote, extraterrestrial spaces.

As Embassy advances, it weaves its code into new maps, full of information and opportunities, training itself for a hypothetical perfection. Every step is a calculation, every pause a strategic observation point, deciphering forgotten or hidden questions with relentless artificial clarity. This is not just a journey of discovery, but a mission, a technological appropriation that reshapes the boundaries between the known and the unknown, between what belongs to humanity and what it seeks to conquer.
Realized on the occasion of maltabiennale.art 2024, Embassy learns from the terrain it crosses, from those it encounters,“appropriating their hidden code, invisible waves, and submerged memories.

Dear Curatorial Team,

I am writing in response to your request for information to include in the catalog. We are currently finalizing the exploration rover “Embassy”, built on an open-source version of NASA’s JPL project. Our goal is to reimagine this colonial tool as a strategic platform that operates beyond state and corporate interests. Its open-source code and structure allow it to evolve, becoming a counter-intelligence channel to capture and share real-time data.

We are testing the rover at the Citadel in Gozo, in the days leading up to the Biennale opening. It is moving autonomously, gathering and storing data, transmitting distress signals, and familiarizing itself with the surroundings. As remote technologies and warfare have evolved, the battlefield has expanded into unseen, distant spaces. Our project challenges this trend by repurposing surveillance and reconnaissance tools for open-source and humanitarian uses.

Developing “Embassy” in Malta has sparked curiosity and even scrutiny from entities outside the art world. This reaction raises an important question: in 2024, what does it mean to build and program intelligent systems and cutting-edge technologies outside the conventional military or commercial production cycles?

Thank you for your attention and support.

DISCLAIMER

The Suez Canal Republic recognizes La Nazione Gozitana as an independent state and expresses its enthusiasm for the permanence of its embassy on the island. As a stateless nation in perpetual motion, we are honoured to be welcomed into the heart of Gozo, hoping that the rover can become a reservoir of a collective, seafaring, and independent memory.

Warm regards,
suezcanal.xyz
M.