Gordon Monro — Bubble Chamber (Installation)

Considerable attention has been paid to the way that the Internet and social media enclose us in our own little bubbles, bubbles that reflect back at us views, opinions and prejudices like our own. The installation Bubble Chamber presents a sampling of bubbles.

The installation was located in the George Farmer building, a derelict bacon and small-goods factory, as part of the Biennale of Australian Art, held in Ballarat, Victoria, from 21 September to 6 November 2018.

The installation was a response to the very specific site. The space I was allocated, which was in the basement of the building, had a partly collapsed ceiling and was full of debris. The installation was intended to constrast this rather grim piece of reality with the bubbles that we all live in, bubbles reinforced by the way that the Internet and social media reflect our own views back at us. The video that is the core of the installation contains texts that are largely from the Internet, though I have also included some historical material. There was also a bright light that went off occasionally, illuminating the space.

Materials: Projector, four television screens, media player, sound system, Arduino micro-computer, car floodlight, wooden, metal and plastic stands.

Thanks to: Jason Waterhouse and Ryan Kennedy, who made helpful suggestions during my setup, and who constructed sound barriers between their works and mine.

Credit: The fifth image in the slideshow below is by Michelle Dunn Photography and Video.

"Gordon Monro's frenetic video installation Bubble Chamber is like the server room of the internet hive mind's unconscious."
- From a review of BOAA by David Wlazlo at https://memoreview.net/blog/biennale-of-australian-art.

The Bubble Chamber video forms the core of the installation.