(W)HOLE

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Click again to enter the realm
The (W)hole Project
Infrastructure makes worlds.
To organize and connect them, we rely on digital technologies.
These systems determine how we move, vote, eat, work.
They shape our streets, our apps, our pipelines – even the way we relate to each other.
Yet, they have become increasingly difficult to understand. This is not a coincidence. The less we know about our shared infrastructures, the more private actors can profit from them. This (W)hole website is part of a broader movement that aims to change that.
Will you join us?
The Manholes
This (W)hole project rises from an often-overlooked element of urban infrastructure: manholes. Six stories have been cast onto six special shaft covers.
They might look like ancient reliefs, but they also tell us something about our future. A map that will guide you across the city of Zürich to these special manholes. The sites where they are placed are no coincidence.
Can you figure out why?
→ LOOK FOR MANHOLES
The AR Worlds
Once you are there, six different AR worlds – one for each location – will reveal themselves as the manhole’s allegories unfold into a strange, oniric realm. At the center of the world, a mysterious sculpture hovers over the manhole: a totem.
What is this creature, what are those symbols?
→ FIND A PORTAL
THE (W)HOLE ATLAS
An Atlas on this website might be of help. The story and the worlds are made of small fragments – symbols, ruins, legends, memes, and myths. It might happen that you’ll find yourself at a crossroads; it might happen that you’ve already decided which path to take.
One thing is certain: we’ll be here to help you.
→ START EXPLORING
THE (W)HOLE REPOSITORY
By the end of your journey, you might feel the desire to learn more: about how the complex world of infrastructure unfolds, and how you can find the tools to collaborate with others. For that, a (W)hole repository awaits you.
Will you join us?
→ GO DEEPER