I'm Sorry We Are Meeting Under These Circumstances

2019

Dimensions Variable

Paper, paper shredders, motion detectors, time

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"Andrew Cozzens' kinetic installation I’m Sorry We Are Meeting Under These Circumstances consists of three paper shredders mounted on the wall. They are equipped with motion sensors, which activate to shred spools of paper printed with images of extinct animals, extinct flora and dead languages from displaced human civilizations. Piled on the floor below is the mound of images that have been destroyed. As the viewer walks by, they catch a glimpse of each image before contributing to its destruction. Once the paper is completely shredded, the machines are left empty but still functioning, operating needlessly. The spools of paper becoming smaller give a visual representation of time running out. We are drawn into this sense of urgency by our passive interaction with the shredders. Simply by observing, we are contributing, and this piece makes us pointedly aware of that."