Mat Collishaw
The Machine Zone, 2019
Steel, aluminum, servo motors, acrylic
6 sections, each part – 118 × 48 × 25 cm
‘The Machine Zone’ installation refers to the 1950s experiments of the American psychologist Burrhus Frederic (B.F.) Skinner, in which he analyzed the behavior of small animals driven by a random reward system.
Skinner’s basic methodology was to give his subjects a signal to encourage them to perform actions in exchange for a reward. Skinner’s conclusion, that our behavior is ‘a response to circumstances and environmental influences’, underlies much of the research on the algorithms that govern our social networking interactions today. Taking advantage of the vulnerability of the human psyche, algorithms shape our habits and create unconscious addictions.
Exhibitions
24/7 A WAKE-UP CALL FOR OUR NON-STOP WORLD, Somerset House, London, UK. October 31, 2019 – February 23, 2020
Mat Collishaw. Djanogly Gallery, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham, March 14, 2020-September 5, 2021
UnNatural History. Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. Jordan Well, Coventry, Uk. May 28-Aug 22, 2021
Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Feb 25-Jun 25, 2022
Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone. Tatintsian Gallery, Dubai. Sep 27-Nov 3, 2022
Publications
Mat Collishaw. The Machine Zone. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, 2022. pp. 1-2, 16-29, Cover
