The Matter (2020)
Performance through WebEx, Documented as Video
The Matter (2020), is a conceptual performance piece exploring ideas of capitalism in the digital age and the efficacy and ethicality of artificial intelligence (AI). In The Matter, I play though a video game centered around a virtual pet called a “Matter”. The Matter is virtual creature that can be raised and cared for on a home computer or laptop. I describe the Matter as “belonging to the Matterus Familiaris genome,” that is created by “personifying an existing string of code to give qualities similar to a house pet like a dog”. The Matter’s conceptualization is inspired heavily by Natalie Bookchin’s Metapet and “villager” entity game mechanics in the best-selling, multi-platform sandbox video game, Minecraft, created by Markus “Notch” Persson.