Art works explore the world of work

How blurred are the lines between work and leisure, thanks to the impact of technology on our working lives? Does anyone still really work only an eight hour day? And what about the rising numbers of self-employed people in our changing economy?

These are among the questions prompted by a new exhibition about the world of work, Time & Motion: Redefining working life, from FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) and the Royal College of Art’s Creative Exchange Hub.

The show uses art and archive materials to look at everything from clocking on at the factory gates to remote, online ways of working.

Among the varied works is a piece from Cohen van Balen about mass-manufacturing, 75 Watt. The video commission focuses on a product with no useful purpose (apart from to choreograph a dance performed by the labourers making it).

75 Watt, from Time & Motion
75 Watt, from Time & Motion

Revital Cohen and Tuur Van Balen – 75 Watt from FACT on Vimeo.

Another piece, Electroboutique’s iPaw, shows a dog who passively scrolls through apps on his tablet, reflecting how technology might trap its users.


Electroboutique’s iPaw, from Time & Motion
Electroboutique’s iPaw, from Time & Motion

Irony dictates that I can’t get to the exhibition due to work deadlines, but, fittingly, I’ve checked out the exhibition online. It’s worth a look.

* Time & Motion: Redefining Working Life is at FACT in Liverpool until 9 March.

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