PEOPLE is a new installation and computational artwork from artist Peter Burr that runs for the duration of a workday. In it, a building-sized projection fills a single wall and 2.1-channel generative audio permeates the exhibition interior.
“As a generative artwork, what specifically drives the figures in PEOPLE off the cliff is the algorithm that produces the piece anew each day. It reads like an allegory for the irrational, self-defeating contradictions in social media, search engines, and the neo-liberal — even, libertarian — ideology of Silicon Valley. The development and dissemination of digital technologies has been a huge, informal experiment in social engineering with often disastrous results. Along with this critical force, however, the work is richly playful. PEOPLE entertains the eye, inviting a darkly comic, but nonetheless soothing, meditation on how each of the figures falls, bounces, and lands — like waves breaking against the shore — a little different each time.” – Text by Clark Buckner
Peter Burr is an artist from Brooklyn, NY. His practice often engages with tools of the video game industry in the form of immersive cinematic artworks. These pieces have been presented internationally by various institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, The Barbican Centre, Documenta 14, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Previously, Burr worked under the alias Hooliganship and founded the video label Cartune Xprez through which he produced hundreds of live multimedia exhibitions and touring programs showcasing a multi-generational group of artists at the forefront of experimental animation. His practice has been recognized through grants and awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Creative Capital Grant, and a Sundance New Frontier Fellowship. He is a current PhD candidate in video games at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
