This exhibition is part of the second chapter of Meta.Morf – Trondheim international biennale for art & technology 2020, which was divided in two chapters due to the current pandemic.

We can’t ignore the fact that this exhibition was initially planned five months ago. The reasons are still pressing and urgent, and our world has changed substantially since then. Not only did we gain a novel genotype virus, but also our socio political world has reorganised under what proceeds as the New Normal. The latter is the unfolding paradigm under which technological surveillance, socio-geometric constraints of human interaction, biopolitical signifiers, border control and national lockdown rhythms have become prerequisites to mitigate the consequences and calamities of the pandemic. However, the existential questions that do emerge from the pandemic, are not answered by the disappearance of its consequences: if the present heralds a glimpse of what the New Normal will bring, is it the future we want?

In response to the emergencies of the New Normal, this exhibition went through an update. The visitor finds itself present as subject and observer of a simulated surveillance state.
In the exhibition facial recognition algorithms extract and compute emotional profiles of the visitors which are then processed into characters (BB_Worker) of a 3-channel gaming engine.
An AI surveillance system displays, detects, calculates, and predicts the collective- and individual interactions of the BB_Workers.
The gaming engine is an adjusted version of Joshua Epstein’s computational model of Civil Violence (2002).

Martinus Suijkerbuijk’s diverse background forms the blueprint of his artistic practice. He holds a degree in Automation Engineering and Industrial Design. In 2017 he graduated from the International MFA program at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts where he also recently started his PhD (april 2020).
His work is best understood as an experimental practice that connects, translates and operates across the borders of different media, artistic genres and disciplines.
Within his practice he continues to explore the fringes of art, technology and philosophy and probes new terrains for intersection within the potential of alliances and collaborations.
His technical background has enabled him to work across industries. He has been invited to present his research and work at art institutions as well as technology conferences (CHI 2018).
Presently his artistic research unfolds under the umbrella title: Engineering the Artificial Subject: New Sensibilities for the ‘Stack to come’.

martinussuijkerbuijk.net
metamorf.no

The exhibition is supported by Meta-Morf.