Gary Tatinsian Gallery: The Machine Zone, Mat Collishaw
Exhibiting at the Gary Tatinsian Gallery in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue art district, Mat Collishaw showcases ‘The Machine Zone’, an exhibition presented through optical illusions, paintings, projections and moving sculptures.
Through optical illusions, paintings, projections, and moving sculptures, Mat Collishaw creates works and scenarios that directly and unconsciously engage the viewer, prompting reflections on psychology, history, sociology, and science. He delves into how we perceive and interact with the world, including modern technology and images, raising questions about behavioural manipulation, programming, and temporal reality.
The Machine Zone (2019)
An art installation featuring robotic birds engaging in repetitive actions based on a programmed algorithm. The work draws inspiration from the 1950s experiments conducted by American psychologist Burrhus Frederic (B.F.) Skinner, who observed the behaviour of small animals under the influence of a random reward system. Skinner’s experimental approach involved giving subjects a signal to encourage them to perform specific actions in exchange for rewards. His findings led to the understanding that our behaviour is influenced by circumstances and environmental factors. This concept forms the foundation of research into the algorithms that govern our interactions on social networking platforms today. Exploiting the vulnerabilities of the human psyche, these algorithms shape our habits and create unconscious addictive behaviours.
The Nerve Rack (2019)
This sculpture was originally created as a site-specific installation for the former Ushaw Seminary in County Durham. A life-size mechanical figure of an eagle was Placed in the chapel of St. Cuthbert’s Church in front of a lectern adorned with a bronze sculpture of an eagle designed by the 19th-century architect Augustus Pugin. These majestic images symbolise opposing spiritual beliefs that were prominent in 16th-century England. Facing each other, the mechanical eagle and the elegant bronze sculpture represent both unity and irreconcilable differences between the Catholic and Protestant movements of that historical period. By contrasting the minimalist machine with the intricate bronze artwork, the artist explores the power of suggestion and the manipulation of information through visual imagery.
The Centrifugal Soul (2016)
A large-scale zoetrope was created with Geoffrey Miller, a renowned contemporary evolutionary psychologist. A zoetrope is an elegant structure dating back to the Victorian era, a period that is often referenced in Collishaw’s works. At the core of the zoetrope is a platform adorned with models of flowers and birds. Rotating at a speed of 60 rpm, the platform is illuminated by strobe lights, flashing every second. This arrangement creates an illusion of movement as the birds appear to hover over the blooming buds and engage in mating dances, displaying their vibrant plumage. The courtship rituals of birds are innate behaviours programmed by nature to ensure breeding and the continuation of their species.
Expiration Painting (2016)
A series of Plexiglas-framed paintings reproducing works by Old Masters. Revolving subjects around the transience and finitude of human life, Collishaw presents the “eternal” theme in a contemporary manner while retaining classical imagery. The reproductions intentionally appear incomplete, resembling a partially printed image on a sheet of paper due to an ink shortage in the printer. This artistic choice prompts viewers to reflect on the brevity of moments, even amidst our fast-paced technological era.
