There’s something deliciously ironic about using Instagram to tell the history of the internet. Even more so when that history turns out to be far stranger, sexier and more politically charged than most of us realise.

And this August, L.A.-based artist and technologist Mindy Seu is bringing her acclaimed performance A Sexual History of the Internet to Brisbane – after two sell-out shows in Sydney and Melbourne. She'll be inviting audiences to rethink the digital tools they use every day through a collective act of reading, participation and discovery. It's being presented in partnership with the Institute of Modern Art and in collaboration with Melbourne’s Now or Never Festival.

But the twist? She's not telling you where it's happening... yet. Here's what we know so far.

A surprise location ...

We've been told it will unfold at a secret James Street location revealed only to ticket holders. Given the interactive nature of the performance piece, we're thinking somewhere big and enclosed – perhaps Palace Cinemas? Only time will tell.

With just 45 seats available, the event promises an intimate experience that feels closer to a gathering than a performance.

So, what exactly is A Sexual History of the Internet?

It's part lecture, part performance and part social experiment. Guests will gather to explores the intertwined histories of sexuality and technological development. Rather than sitting back and listening, audience members are asked to become active participants, reading historical citations and anecdotes aloud through a shared script delivered via Instagram Stories on their phones.

The result is a polyvocal chorus that transforms a conventional lecture into something far more immersive.

Who is Mindy Seu?

Based between Los Angeles and New York, Seu sits at the intersection of art, technology and research. An Associate Professor in Design Media Arts at the University of California, her work investigates internet culture, digital archives and the hidden histories that shape online life.

She is perhaps best known for Cyberfeminism Index (which we spoke to her about for the Forbidden issue back in 2023), the influential publication that mapped decades of online activism and net art. A Sexual History of the Internet continues that research, digging into the often-overlooked role sexuality has played in shaping digital infrastructures.