About the installation

Situational Compliance (2024 – ongoing) is an interactive audiovisual installation that playfully subverts the game of “Simon Says” to explore the dynamics of public surveillance. Using artificial intelligence and computer vision, the work exposes a system that observes, interprets, and directs participants’ actions, shedding light on the structures of control embedded in our digital environments.

Visitors are invited to follow simple instructions. As they perform each pose, it represents both a moment of individualism and simultaneously the negation of identity in a digitally mediated environment. The body becomes the medium of a subtle power game, caught between autonomy and algorithmic authority.

The installation’s technical components are deliberately revealed, offering a critical glimpse into the inner workings of such systems. By echoing real-world surveillance technologies, Situational Compliance questions our readiness to comply with commands, often without reflection, and explores the fine line between obedience and agency.

At its core, the piece prompts reflection on our behavior under omnipresent observation. It challenges us to consider how technology can simultaneously empower and constrain, revealing the complexity of human interactions in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and surveillance logic.

Many Thanks to:

Mois Multi + MUTEK for their support under the M+M program and SAT

Manuel Bolduc + SAT for technical assistance

About the artist

Matthew Biederman ^CA/QC is a multidisciplinary artist exploring perception, data, and media systems through installation, performance, and video since the 1990s. His work has been exhibited internationally in major biennales and festivals, and is held in public and private collections across North America and beyond.

Situational Compliance by Matthew Biederman

A coproduction with Mois Multi/Les productions Recto-Verso