Multimodal. Disengaged couriers

10 couriers, 2 cities. Sporting colourful bags, driving or riding, motorised or not, platform food couriers are ubiquitous in all cities. Hundreds of them, branding Glovo, Tazz or Bolt logos, criss-cross Cluj everyday. It’s a good opportunity: flexible work, away from the office, good money and no visible boss. It’s a good deal for those toiling 10-12 hours, seven days a week for 1,000 euros a month, as it is for us who see them: hurried dots on our smartphones. Behind these depersonalised pixels and the (self-)belief that platform work pays well, we discover real stories of precarity and resistance, both individual and collective. The fight for the future of work happens here and now, amongst inept and indisputable algorithms, skewed workers’ rights and the fear of falling asleep at the wheel.

Part of an academic research project, the exhibition Multimodal is hosted by Casa Tranzit, between 4 and 13 March 2022. It gathers graphic illustrations, video footage, audio notes and GIS data to unveil food couriers’ work experiences in Manchester and Cluj. Join us on Friday, 4 March, to
• discover illustrations, drawing and paintings done by Oana Lohan, José Sherwood González, Ionuț Dulămiță and Alin Tămășan;
• hear from couriers, artists and researchers what is looks and feels like to be a platform worker;
• browse and take home for free zines which tell even more courier stories.
The exhibition will be launched on March 4th, starting 16.00. It is part of Târgul Autonom de Carte și Zine: https://fb.me/e/2oTmRE9tq