Drawing inspiration from an Orwellian future, or surveillance state, there are actions when individuals do not conform to the dominant narrative, structure or ideology. This work asks viewers to consider conformity from two angles: on an individual level—we forgo our own moral makeup and subscribe to the dominant way of thinking, acting, being in order to feel valued and a contributing member of society, and on a social level—by not subscribing to the dominant structures and influences around us, we experience isolation and feel ostracized.
Using text as a found object and pulling aesthetic references from neon signs, a static filled television screen, and warning labels, this work is participant based—the puzzle responds when the piece is inserted. The puzzle acts as a stand in for society; the pieces are individual but fit together to construct the whole. Working to convey how society reacts to an individual's attempt to conform, part of the text appears, and the colour of the lights change when the piece is inserted to indicate a shift in mood. The removable piece is a stand in for the individual, or group of people that do not quite fit with the dominant ways of being.