Human Behavior and Norm Transgression

The installation is part of an ongoing research project, about human behavior and norm transgression. The viewers are confronted with people that confess their acts of unsustainable behavior on a screen. In front of the screen is a big red button, which triggers a sequence that shows the people in the installation being exposed to various forms of humiliation. This puts the visitor in the position of deciding which 'eco-sin' he deems to be punishable. The temptation to simply push the button, to see what happens and the awkward position of judging another person for acts that most of us commit in our everyday live, navigates the viewer in a conflict of personal beliefs and actions. The setup is intended to work as an experimental method of evaluating one’s own moral values concerning environmental behavior. In modern day life it is virtually impossible to live completely sustainably. On what ground than, can we deplore actions of other individuals, corporations and states?
Beyond the personal level, the project tries to raise the question, if we as a society should promote sustainable behavior by condemning its opposite. Environmental campaigns, schoolbooks and pop culture are full of examples in which people are punished for such actions. One of the most drastic instances is the movie Avatar, in which a whole planet crushes mankind for his sins. But does this make us more conscious about our actions in the world or are we rather just forced into a position in which we feel obligated to find excuses for our actions without substantially changing them?

Fact Box