Presence Required
An exhibit about attention — that demands yours. No phones. No posts. No previews. Just you, the art, and the time you’re willing to give it.
Presence Required is an interactive art experience exploring the value of attention in a distracted world. We live in an era where algorithms compete for our focus in tiny, constant bites. Our time is no longer ours. We skim past breathtaking works in seconds, adapt creativity to fit a feed, and call three seconds of viewing a success. This exhibition pushes back.
Each painting is hidden within a sculptural frame that slowly reveals the work after a set time spent in its presence. The durations — 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 10 minutes — are intentionally uncomfortable for the pace we’ve learned to live by. There is no soundtrack, no phone, no post — only the art, the viewer, and the experience they create together.
Presence Required is also a reflection of the artist’s experience with ADHD, acknowledging that focus and stillness affect us differently. It invites every visitor to confront how they give their time and what that act truly means.
Here, art doesn’t ask for your likes. It asks for you.
Presence Required is an interactive art experience exploring the value of attention in a distracted world. We live in an era where algorithms compete for our focus in tiny, constant bites. Our time is no longer ours. We skim past breathtaking works in seconds, adapt creativity to fit a feed, and call three seconds of viewing a success. This exhibition pushes back.
Each painting is hidden within a sculptural frame that slowly reveals the work after a set time spent in its presence. The durations — 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 10 minutes — are intentionally uncomfortable for the pace we’ve learned to live by. There is no soundtrack, no phone, no post — only the art, the viewer, and the experience they create together.
Presence Required is also a reflection of the artist’s experience with ADHD, acknowledging that focus and stillness affect us differently. It invites every visitor to confront how they give their time and what that act truly means.
Here, art doesn’t ask for your likes. It asks for you.
The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, 2 Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch Central
Event contact
Andrew Swarbrick andrewswarbrickart@gmail.com www.andrewswarbrickart.com/presence-required-info www.instagram.com/lhpandy/Other events you may be interested in
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