The amaWal Borg Cube, a finalist in the Salt Spring National Art Prize 2019/2020, was one of 52 works chosen for the biennial exhibition from 1,973 submissions from across Canada.

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Whether we give it much thought, or whether we think about it at all, our personal information is being aggressively data-mined by increasingly sophisticated algorithms.

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Whom we communicate with, what we buy, what we search for online; everything about us generates valuable data to be collected, bought and sold. E-commerce heavyweights like Amazon and Walmart are spending billions of dollars to acquire that data and to eliminate competition through the systematic assimilation of smaller companies and startups. The amaWal Borg Cube questions what might happen if the most powerful tech and e-commerce giants become too powerful. Who would be in control then?  We're in uncharted territory.

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The amaWal Borg Cube consists of hundreds of tiny wood blocks, painted, etched and detailed to resemble cardboard cartons. Contained linearly by strips of metal and wood the cartons appear calmly and efficiently restrained. There are no focal points and no discernible patterns. There is an underlying perception of an ominous order that is unsettling.