An exhibition titled 'Elusive Sense: On the Fluid Boundaries of Perception' at London’s art’otel featured five contemporary Polish artists, including the collective panGenerator. Their interactive installation 'Infinity' (2020) invites viewers to kneel and endlessly scroll through nonsensical digital shapes on a screen, mimicking social media's infinite scroll. The work aims to make users feel uncomfortable and reflect on their daily digital habits, drawing parallels between trust in technology and religious belief. Another panGenerator piece, 'Hash to ash' (2017), lets visitors take a selfie that melts into ash, critiquing selfie culture and the fragility of digital photos.
This article matters because it highlights how contemporary new media art is engaging directly with urgent societal issues—namely, the psychological and emotional impact of technology and social media on human perception and behavior. panGenerator’s work physicalizes ephemeral digital phenomena, forcing viewers into a performative, embodied experience that critiques passive consumption. As debates around screen addiction and digital permanence intensify, such art offers a critical, sensory counterpoint to the seamless interfaces of everyday tech, making it relevant to broader conversations about mental health and digital culture.