BOB BICKNELL-KNIGHT

DECLINE (Seat), 2024
Gaming chair, acrylic paint, varnish, 3D printed PLA, glue, screws
64 x 50 x 90 cm

DECLINE (Seat) (2024) was part of Logging Off, a duo exhibition by Bob Bicknell-Knight and Rosa-Maria Nuutinen at The Cut, Halesworth, Suffolk, UK, 27th February – 6th April 2024.

The exhibition explored the seductive nature of video games worlds, digital addiction, climate collapse, apocalypse anxieties and 24/7 hypercapitalism. The exhibition reflects upon how the video games we play are created, how our lives are becoming increasingly disconnected because of new technologies and a general feeling of malaise towards the contemporary moment.

DECLINE (Seat) is a customised gamer chair, originally created as a functional seat, adorned with sculpture elements; physical 3D printed reproductions of video game assets. Within video games, an asset is any resource that is used in the development of a video game, from 3D models to sound effects and pieces of code. The assets used in the work are simple 3D models with low polygon counts, like animals and plant life, usually appearing in multiple places across different video games. The use of these models, purchased by game developers rather than being made themselves, appears to be a contemporary coping mechanism harnessed to accelerate the production process of virtual experiences. The work uses the idea of the prefab as a vehicle for speaking about how the world is in an unstoppable free fall towards a global climate crisis.

The sculptures embedded in the seat resemble mouldy mushrooms, exploring ideas related to the political climate in the UK and our rapidly decaying world. Each of the sculptures is printed with no perimeter, with the different objects shedding their outer, simplistic armour, to explore the inner beauty and intricacies of these seemingly uncomplicated objects and the ways they’re used within video games.

The sculptures were produced using Polylactic Acid (PLA), a thermoplastic polyester made from plant starch. By producing versions or iterations of both animals and plants in this material, the sculptural works are effectively transformed back into the original natural elements that they are visually depicting. The sculptures are emblazoned with words associated with destruction and decay, asking the question, at what point do we escalate? The chair within the work was painted with acrylic paint, replicating the digital space that creators first encounter when beginning a project in Unity; a grey and white grid.

DECLINE (Seat) has been included in the following exhibitions:

– Art in Conversation II. At 108 Fine Art, Harrogate, UK, 6th July – 31st August 2024.
– Logging Off w/ Rosa-Maria Nuutinen. At The Cut Arts Centre, Halesworth, UK, 27th February – 6th April 2024.