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Artworks

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Mat Collishaw, The Machine Zone, 2019
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Mat Collishaw, The Machine Zone, 2019

Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone, 2019

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Mat Collishaw, The Machine Zone, 2019

 Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone, 2019

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Mat Collishaw, The Machine Zone, 2019

 Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone, 2019

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Mat Collishaw, The Machine Zone, 2019

 Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone, 2019

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Mat Collishaw, The Machine Zone, 2019

 Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone, 2019

Mat Collishaw Nottingham, UK, b. 1966

The Machine Zone, 2019
Acrylic, aluminium, C-type Photograph, electrical circuitry, servo motors, steel
6 sections, each part – 118 x 48 x 25 cm

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The Machine Zone (2019) is an installation of robotic birds, each performing a repetitive algorithm of actions. The work draws inspiration from the 1950s experiments of American psychologist Burrhus Frederic...
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The Machine Zone (2019) is an installation of robotic birds, each performing a repetitive algorithm of actions. The work draws inspiration from the 1950s experiments of American psychologist Burrhus Frederic (B.F.) Skinner, in which he studied the behavior of small animals subjected to a random reward system. Skinner's methodology involved providing subjects with a signal that prompted them to perform certain actions in exchange for rewards, illustrating how behavior can be shaped by environmental cues and contingencies.

 

Skinner concluded that human behavior is essentially a response to circumstances and external influences—insights that continue to inform the algorithms driving our modern social interactions. In this way, The Machine Zone subtly critiques the ways algorithms exploit the vulnerabilities of the human psyche, subtly shaping habits and fostering unconscious addictions. Just as the robotic birds perform their programmed actions, humans today find themselves driven by invisible, algorithmic forces, their behaviors manipulated and conditioned by the allure of constant rewards—reinforcing Skinner’s assertion that our responses are increasingly dictated by external stimuli. The work poses a profound question about the nature of free will in an age dominated by technological influence.

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Exhibitions

Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone. Tatintsian Gallery, Dubai. Sep 27–Dec 30, 2022

Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone. Feb 25–Jun 25, 2022

UnNatural History. Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. Jordan Well, Coventry. May 28–Aug 22, 2021

Mat Collishaw. Djanogly Gallery, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham. Mar 14, 2020–Sep 5, 2021

24/7 A WAKE-UP CALL FOR OUR NON-STOP WORLD. Somerset House, London, UK. Oct 31, 2019–Feb 23, 2020

Publications

Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, 2022. pp. 1–2, 16–29, Cover
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