Mixed media (wooden frames, coloured Formica, audio)
Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2001: A Space Odyssey ignited my childhood imagination about ‘space’, but it was Stanley Kubrick’s film interpretation of the novel that gave me a new perspective on the world. The subtlety of Kubrick’s interpretation of a man-made machine surpassing the intelligence of its human makers was a concept I found both chilling and humorous.
Thank You for a Very Enjoyable Game is as much about Kubrick’s genius as a filmmaker as it is a stark warning to a world where artificial intelligence and the human condition grow ever closer, a subject so pertinent in a world driven by technology today. I created a visual abstraction of the chess game between the spaceship supercomputer HAL 9000 and the astronaut Dr Frank Poole. The 30 chess boards, inlaid with coloured Formica, are positioned in a linear formation tracking the moves made in the chess game. A subtle audio soundtrack of chimes (suggesting a ‘chess clock’ timer) indicates a move has been made by a player. Each square has a designated audio note and is derived from Tingsha – the cymbals used in prayer and rituals by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. The chime was specifically chosen to emphasise the contemplative nature of the game of chess.
