Removal Studies
Michael Kontopoulos >

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Removal Studies

Over the course of one night, a machine invented by Michael Kontopoulos gently reels the bed covers off his sleeping body. Comprised of 30 second exposures taken every two minutes, this video documents his body’s wakeless adjustments to incrementally rising levels of discomfort. The work was most recently exhibited at the University of California, Los Angeles, alongside other works giving physical form to modern anxiety.

Michael Kontopoulos is an artist and designer interested in constructing mechanical systems and tools for exploring the poetics of everyday human behavior. Through invention, experimentation and iteration, his systems evoke metaphors about social relationships and the human condition, reflecting on habits both conscious and unconscious. Born in Philadelphia, he has lived and worked in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.