NONE Collective, which has been engaged over the last few years in exploring the relationship between man and machine, presents the work J3RR1, now on display as part of the exhibition Human + at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni within the section.
J3RR1 is a computer that has been programmed to carry out a continuous stress test. In other words, it tests hardware performance, establishing a benchmark.
J3RR1 immediately carries out what it has been programmed to do, engaging in a huge effort to verify its own performance and continuously endeavouring to improve – without knowing how or why it performs this task.
As in medical check-ups, the progress of J3RR1’s basic vital signs is constantly monitored and linked to a device that reproduces them in sound and light signals. We are used to thinking of machines as cold and remote, but when confronted with J3RR1, the heat and energy of the 25 halogen lamps of 75 watt (1875 total watts) can be felt, keeping visitors warm, followed by the sound of 25 solenoids beating on its aluminium sheets. This highlights the precision of a command that cannot be ignored.
Can one feel empathy for a machine?
“When observing J3RR1 we soon see our own reflection” the artists explain, “inside a square sphere made up of mirrors. This creates a dialectic between the ‘machine-patient’ and ‘the-human-observer’ who, on seeing their reflection, can share the condition of anxiety brought about by the need to perform; experiencing an entire life spent searching for improvement, often losing sight of the reasons for so much expense of energy and effort.
This is ultimately a subjective question. There are those who feel empathy with plants and those who believe even rocks possess a spirit, so what do we feel for a machine?”
NONE Collective continues researching the human dimension and studying machines that explore the unconscious and space, whether physical or virtual. The Collective uses technology, in this case, to reflect on the everyday condition of human beings, not from an anthropocentric perspective, but rather to offer visitors food for thought about the present and near future. (from the press release)
None collective tells about 3RR1. Una tortura programmata, wednesday 6 June, 6.30 p.m., Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome
J3RR1. Tortura programmata [planned torture] will be on show until 1 July, as part of the section “Human, Superhuman?” curated by Valentino Catricalà and in collaboration with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale for the Roman edition of the exhibition “Human +. The Future of Our Species” at Palazzo delle Esposizioni.
