(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)October 1, 2024

Conceived and created by Peter A. Campbell and Nick Walsh
Movement by Laura V. Ward
Pascal Gallery, Berrie Center, Ramapo College
September 25 – October 9, 2024
One channel live feed video on monitor, simultaneous live stream on Instagram Live, 4 performers

Mahwah, NJ- META EX MACHINA is on view from Wednesday, September 25 through Wednesday, October 9, 2024 in the Pascal Gallery, Berrie Center on the Ramapo College campus. There will be a Closing Reception on October 9 from 5-7- p.m., with Artists’ Talks at 6 p.m. This unusual and innovative project interrogates the construction of social media.

On January 31, 2024, Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood up from the table at which he was seated for his testimony in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis. He turned to a group of parents and spoke the following: “I’m sorry. Everything that you all gone through, it’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and are going to continue doing industry leading efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things that your families have had to suffer.”

Ramapo College Professor of Theatre Peter Campbell stated the following: “This reminded me of the many Greek tragedies in which women, children, and refugees are told by the powers that-be that they’re ‘doing their best’ to protect the victims, but, somehow, they just couldn’t or wouldn’t. It’s always somebody else’s fault – the gods, fate, honor, revenge. They are only doing what they are supposed to do under the laws that exist, and while they might feel mildly conflicted about it, they are ultimately fine with letting others suffer the consequences of their actions, or lack of actions.”

META EX MACHINA is an installation that uses live performance and media to concoct an algorithmic potion of a social media feed that includes text and video of US laws and congressional hearings, centuries of European visual art, ancient Greek myth and tragedy, and the music of Sinead O’Connor. Unlike Big Tech companies like Meta and TikTok, who hide behind FCC Section 230 and gaslight the world about the origins and consequences of their content, this work will give viewers the chance to take a peek behind the magic curtain and experience the making of the images and sounds that appear on the feed. Throughout the exhibition, red handle will be making and sharing their own social media feed, live in the Pascal Gallery at Ramapo College and streaming on Instagram Live.

Pascal Gallery hours are: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 1-5 p.m. and Wednesday 1-7 p.m.
For further information contact Sydney Jenkins at 201-684-7147.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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