State of Affairs, 2018 – 19
HD video with sound
25 min 49 sec
Commissioned by Daata Editions
Bob Bicknell-Knight’s State of Affairs (2018 – 19) compiles footage from the YouTube channel News Direct, in which daily news stories, from self-driving buses to social media bots, are transcribed into 3D rendered animations. Non-linear in presentation, the re-appropriated video work illustrates current and future modes of technological interface, from facial recognition software to drone surveillance. Executed in a dated Y2K aesthetic, the work is dystopic and utopic all at once. Akin to the unconscious rituals implemented while existing on the internet, opening tab after tab, clickbait after clickbait, State of Affairs mirrors the inconclusive narrative of our digital lives. The visual content is accompanied by a soothing, melodic soundtrack and augmented voiceover, forewarning of the future of gamified spaces and digital death.
The video is physically contained within a 3D printed USB of the Facebook logo, with Mark Zuckerberg’s face embedded within.
The work is available to purchase from Daata here – https://daata.art/art/state-of-affairs
State of Affairs has been included in the following exhibitions:
– Video mood, curated by Davide Da Pieve, Marco Casella and Marta Trombini. At Mock Jungle, Das, Bologna, IT, 24th January – 15th February 2020.
– State of Affairs, curated by Theodor P. Nymark. At Salon 75, Copenhagen, DK, 9th August – 15th September 2019.
– Beyond the Door, curated by Bob Bicknell-Knight. At Vanity Projects, NYC and Miami locations, USA, 1st August – 1st September 2019.
– Beyond the Door, curated by Bob Bicknell-Knight. At Everyman King’s Cross on the Corner, London, UK, 22nd June 2019.
– Late Stage, curated by George Metesky. At Galerie Manque, New York, USA, 18th May – 19th June 2019.
– Towards the Last Unicorn, curated by no.stereo and Art Research Map. At 55SP, R. Barão de Tatuí, São Paulo, BR, 2nd April – 1st June 2019.
BOB BICKNELL-KNIGHT 