"Recasting Robots: The Place to See and be Seen"

Artist Nick Alex stands by his central piece Friday.

 

On Friday, July 12, at the Catamount Arts centre in St. Johnsbury, crowds filled the hall to study and admire the artwork of two local artists. What they didn't understand until later was that the art was also studying them.

Nick Alex debuted his art show "Recasting Robots" on Friday, filling the hall with dystopian, steampunk renderings of the many ways in which we are constantly monitored. The overarching theme of Alex's work is a critique of the Foucauldian, Big Brother world in which we live now. With a background in sociology and criminal justice, Alex is more than qualified to comment upon the topic.

Alex's central piece was a carousel inverted to form a panopticon, a structure originally designed for prisons by Michel Foucault to replace the system of corporal punishment. A panopticon places the prisoners in a circle surrounding a guard tower with blackened windows so that the prisoner is never certain whether he is being watched. Theoretically, the prisoner is therefore more likely to self-monitor his own behaviour.

"[It's a] complex metaphor of how society functions," the artist explained as people gathered around his main exhibit. On it were photographs of people riding the carousel inverted around a metal hub reflecting flashing lights. What caught the eye was the way Alex took a carousel, something people associate with lighthearted fun, and turned it into a striking commentary on the state of society and the government's involvement in the private lives of its citizens.

Nick Alex could not have read the political climate better when timing the debut of "Recasting Robots." Governmental monitoring and heavier involvement in civilian and private sector affairs is a hot topic these days for voters and politicians alike. Alex's commentary added to the nationwide conversation in an intelligent, quiet, and sophisticated way.

When Alex was asked what he plans to do with "Recasting Robots" and his art career in general, his answer was a very open-ended "Who knows?" We look forward to seeing what's next.