Message in a bottle: social isolation via human installation

Poincheval is known for posing philosophical questions about our contemporary era and its unprecedented sense of alienation at a time of dizzying change. He does so in ways few would think to do.

In 2015, he spent 13 days inside a hollow statue shaped like a bear. In 2016, he lived for a week on a platform suspended 20 metres above the ground. In 2017, Poincheval lived in a rock for a week incubating chicken eggs. Each had a point.

Making a point with art

This time around, the French artist's point was made just as the world came together for the Olympics. Yet not everyone feels the warmth of contact and communication.

Social isolation occurs when someone has fewer social relationships and interactions with others than is typical. It often leads to feelings of loneliness which in turn further reinforces the isolation, creating a vicious circle.

Today, more than half of the world's population live in cities, which offer denser living, noise, and distractions. Yet stress levels in cities can be far higher, and the risk of mental illness greater.

Social isolation can be more likely in noisy settings, yet as urbanisation expands, more people are exposed to the risks.

New working patterns—including those relied upon during the pandemic, like remote working—have brought with them fresh forms of isolation and alienation. Established working patterns have been obliterated by the changes, deepening the shift.

Stockholm Syndrome

There is now a new form of insecurity. The internet is akin to an intangible form of authority, transmitted through society by its various applications and platforms which can dominate our day-to-day lives.

As people grow dependent on digital, they appear to fall victim to Stockholm Syndrome, the phycological condition whereby captives form emotional bonds with their captors.

Several recent crises, from the 2008 global financial crash to the pandemic and even war, create further stress and insecurity, including job losses. Add worries over climate and ecology and you have a perfect psychological storm.

We are on the threshold of a new era, tentatively called "post-human", and many feel that it is becoming harder to feel at home as these changes play out. The pace of technological change makes it feel like the world is somehow becoming less human.

The rapid advancement of science and the digital AI revolution have expanded human power exponentially. This frightens us. The human spirit feels under siege, creating a sense that humanity is confined and imprisoned—like Poincheval in his bottle.

Individuality and isolation

People feel increasingly powerless as the loss of their privacy and individuality. By contrast, the Industrial Revolution—the last great upheaval—featured the rise of individuality. In both cases, a previous set of social constraints are broken.

This is the context in which Poincheval arrived on the Canal Saint-Denis to send his latest message. In his bottle, he sought to explore the limits of isolation while remaining connected to the outside world, an experiment that mirrors our reality.

We live among others, see them, hear them, and are exposed to them, yet we remain alone. "I am going to experience the excitement, the moments of joy, and the moments of disappointment too," he said beforehand. "Many people put their lives on social media, I wonder how we live knowing we're being observed at all times."

We can feel alone even among everyone else: this is his painful truth. We are now exposed, monitored, and bound by the smallest and most intimate details, stripped of agency over their lives.

The move to a 'post-human' world is one in which humanity currently feels it has limited control over and limited chance of liberation from.

Total transparency

Considering Poincheval's confinement in a totally transparent and very tight space as the world gathered for the Olympics, it is an extraordinary installation, but how should it be categorised? Is it performance art?

Perhaps it can, insofar as he assumes an exposed role where he can both see and be seen, spending time extracted from his own limited earthly existence.

But what is the purpose or objective of the performance? He does not aim to entertain but to astonish and provoke. This is not meant to be an enjoyable experience for the audience. It is meant to pose uncomfortable questions.

Poincheval offered a spectacle far removed from an ordinary scene for any observer. Some may call him mad. Others will pause to reflect, searching for its meaning, its message, then leave having felt an impact. To that extent, it was a success.