Lawrence Lek’s installation ‘NOX’, created with LAS Art Foundation, takes over Berlin’s abandoned Kranzler Eck shopping centre and shows us a glimpse of an AI future through images of depressed self-driving cars In a world of increased automation. The question Lek asks is: “can humans learn to have compassion for machines?” Will visitors start weeping over the fate of a depressed car?
How does it work? Visitors’ headsets are activated at different points across three floors, with video installation and narrated sessions between a therapist and a self-driving car that has come to the facility for a five-day rehabilitation programme. The car’s monologues explore the nature of memory, intergenerational trauma and consciousness, with his soft voice calling to mind noirish sci-fi.
In order to get into the mind of his central character, Lek thought in human terms. The car has misbehaved and is being put back in line. The artist sees parallels with the treatment of troubled children at school. ‘Very often the bad kids are the most promising, but they have issues. Should you send them away because you don’t want them to influence the other kids? I thought it could be the same for these cars. Would you reset the car? Would you wipe its memory?’
The surprisingly moving show is reimagined into a rehabilitation facility for automated cars. The show’s design draws on contemporary aesthetics of tech and wellness, referencing the experiential, immersive nature of everything from car showrooms to cultural institutions and the Apple store. NOX evokes the cold experience of humans in a corporate, post-industrial world. The car is being treated with care, but this is in order to get it back into working shape and carry out its tasks with minimal fuss.
If you want to experience this show yourself, check out Lawrence Lek’s NOX at Kranzler Eck, Berlin, until 14 January 2024
Text based on Wallpaper article and las-art.foundation/de
