Tribe series – ‘Tribe – Tower’

Tribe – Tower: happy to be incarcerated

Part Tower of Babel, part Panopticon, ‘Tribe – Tower’ is another scenario in SMACK’s Tribe project. This work sees colourless characters inhabit a multi-storey structure reminiscent of an office block or mall, then engage in repetitive activities in an infinite loop. Inspired by the writings of French philosopher, Michel Foucault, ‘Tribe – Tower’ addresses surveillance, control and choice.

‘Tribe – Tower’ was presented in September 2022 as part of the inaugural exhibition at the refurbished Evoluon in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

→ About Tribe series: The Power of the Group Before the Mirror

For Tribe, SMACK developed a population of approximately 300 digitally animated characters, ranging from walking periscopes and swastika-wearing bugs to multi-headed aristocrats and muscle-bound machos. Each allows for variations in texture and colour, enabling the artists to deploy customised versions in different scenarios including ‘Tribe – City’, ‘Tribe – War’, ‘Tribe – Apex’ or ‘Tribe – Tower’, while individual portraits are brought together in collections such as ‘Tribe: Golden Circle Characters’.

Many of these characters were developed during the COVID pandemic and reflect behavioural tropes associated with this time. “People were living in their own safety bubbles,” explains Ton Meijdam. “A lot have suits on because they’re afraid to interact with other people,” while others are walking hand-sanitisers, robot cleaning products and super-hero medics.

Various characters are recurring favourites, already present in ‘SPECULUM’. These include an oversized head with robot legs and SMACK’s updated version of the Venus of Willendorf, created by blending images of the Palaeolithic fertility figure with footage of Kim Kardashian. What they all have in common, says Meijdam, is an inflated ego: “They carry this message saying, “Look at me! I’m very important.”