Since the first use of the atomic bomb as a weapon, it has become increasingly clear that humans have managed to create technologies that could easily cause their own demise - Artificial Intelligence being only the most recent candidate - and it is also clear that they have not been so good at creating a culture, a philosophy and a consensus that will prevent the triggering of the ultimate disaster.
But they are studying the matter.
Following on the heels of their recent successful project with F+V at ArtBasel Miami Beach, The Last Library IV, artists Ward Shelley and Douglas Paulson address the existential worries of our turbulent times in a series of wry and informational painted drawings and new sculpture using elements from their Archive and Library projects.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is a branching tumbleweed diagram that draws information from specialized university departments, speculative fiction, thoughtful studies and, of course, the internet, to specify in great detail the many ways we may do ourselves in. That is, our Extinction Scenarios.
Free Speech celebrates America’s sense of ourselves as individuals and our confidence that we are free to express ourselves and say anything we want. One of the earliest and least precedented canvases for this self expression was the back end of our cars and the bumper sticker, which is the subject of this painted diagram.
The artists are showing a new sculpture titled Brink made from their Archive boxes and a kinetic element: perched precariously on top of a six foot tall mound of boxes is a chair balancing on two legs, rocking back and forth at the tipping point of an uncertain but unwanted future. The contents of the boxes are revealed by their labels. Together they comprise a shopping list of conspiracies, dire warnings, trenchant opinions and misinformation - just a slice of life in our world of dangerous technologies in unprepared human hands.
Artist Bio
Ward Shelley and Douglas Paulson have been collaborating in performance and installation projects since they met in Brooklyn in 2004. Their most-often cited works are the Archive projects and the Last Library series, in which rooms full of sculptural objects, typically books and boxes, become immersive sculptural supports for text. They have also made inhabited structures in which they lived and worked, such as Flatland with Alex Schweder, and have collaborated with artist collectives in Queens, New York.
The text material in The Archives and Last Libraries reflect the artists interest in the plight of contemporary culture and how it has been shaped by mass media technologies and the needs of the powerful. Popular internet memes, trendy political jingoism, lost histories, commercial slogans and notions of individualism are all in play. These pieces are designed for immersive browsing and reflection. No two person’s experiences will be the same.
Shelley and Paulson have exhibited together more than 25 times across the United States and Europe, but centered in the New York area. Shelley also makes informational diagrams and inhabited performance architecture with Alex Schweder. He splits his time between Connecticut and Florida. Douglas Paulson has years of experience working in the artist collective scene and teaches at Parsons, New School University. He lives in Harlem, NYC.