Triggering human behaviour

Anna Witt

Money to find

video, 9.41 min. 2003/2008

The setup is fantasticly simple and brilliant. Money is hidding. 400 Euro to be exact. Participants were invited into an installation that appears to be an ordinary living room. Money is yours if you find it. The art gallery and installation space is located in a crowded underground station a great part of the visitors were not the usual artenthusiasts. Within 3 hours of the opening the living room installation was ripped apart and destroyed. Most of the money was found. Visitors actions formed the aesthetic process in the active engagement in the installation.

The artwork starts a movement – a justifying thought-element in the mind of the individual takes over and the actions of the other participants rubs off, reenforcing to themselves that their actions are morally okay. The broken window theory is through this artwork portrayed and also exposing an aspect of the human behaviour that in certain particular contexts is rather predictable. A number of individuals forms an organism that acts united and independently at the same time.

The Artwork Money to find explores this phenomenon of an organisms united movement and motion. The aim of the group of individuals are the same and it is interesting that this work exposes this motion.

stills from the videopiece

For more Anna Witt – read about the artist talk here

and definitely check out her website here