DETROIT, MICH.- How do we imagine and shape the futures increasingly being designed for us? In Anyspace? Whatever., rootoftwo examines the technological systems that quietly structure contemporary civic life; from surveillance networks and algorithmic decision-making to the data infrastructures embedded within so-called “smart cities.” Rather than treating these systems as invisible background conditions, the exhibition brings them into public view, inviting visitors to consider their social, political, and ethical implications.
The exhibition takes its title from French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s concept of the “any-space-whatever,” a term later adapted by urban critic Adam Greenfield to describe the abstract, frictionless environments envisioned in corporate and policy-driven narratives of the smart city. For rootoftwo, this “anyspace” represents a future in which public life is increasingly mediated by data extraction, automation, and forms of technological governance that often operate beyond public scrutiny.
Yet Anyspace? Whatever. is not simply a critique. Unfolding across multiple scales of participation through tabletop games, computer-generated films, an archive, prints, sculptural installations, and architectural proposals, the exhibition functions as a forum for dialogue; moving between cautionary visions of technologically managed futures and more participatory models rooted in collective agency and cooperation.
By creating space for curiosity, ambivalence, critique, and open speculation, Anyspace? Whatever. invites visitors to reconsider the relationship between technology and public life, and to imagine how more accountable, democratic, and community-centered futures might be built together.
rootoftwo, the creative practice of Czanne Charles (USA) and John Marshall (UK), uses public works, immersive spaces, and artifacts to challenge standard narratives of progress. Their work is driven by the belief that "under-imagined futures have consequences," exploring the tension between innovation and societal impact. By questioning technologies like AI and robotics, they probe issues of privacy, agency, and consent to shape futures rooted in equity.
Notable works include Whithervanes, commissioned by Locust Projects, Miami (2018), and Creative Folkestone (2014). rootoftwo were 2025 Rhizome 7x7 participants, are 2023 Creative Capital Awardees for Anyspace? Whatever., and 2024 recipients of a Knight New Works grant for the cooperative game 463NCY. rootoftwo has presented work at the Cit du Design (FR), Folkestone Triennial (UK), Locust Projects (US), Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (US), and the National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto (JP), among others. Their work is held in permanent collections including the Nevada Museum of Arts Center for Art + Environment, the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, and Folkestone Artworks. rootoftwo.com
Anyspace? Whatever. is presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, and is made possible with the support of The Andy Warhol Foundation and Teiger Foundation. rootoftwo received support for Anyspace? Whatever. from the Creative Capital Foundation, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the US Regional Arts Organizations, and a 2024 Knight New Work Detroit grant, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The project was also developed through a residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and with gratitude to the Wolfsonian–Florida International University for access to materials in their collection from the 1933 World’s Fair “A Century of Progress International Exposition.”
