Robin Donnelly

Lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Artist statement

As a performance artist I am working to create experiences that question socially accepted systems of human interaction. Through the evaluation of universal models measuring perceived emotion and social exchange, I research the dynamics of interpersonal relationships via notions of abstraction. I investigate the process of bond building and deterioration in the perception of the other, exploring boundaries of romantic and non-romantic relations. Do you look toward others for encouragement, approval, or assistance when in situations of struggle? Is closeness a product of proximity or a form of intimacy? Do you act differently when aware of being watched? By being a willing participant in these systems how are you acting in order to receive a desirable outcome? By utilizing tools such as the interview, survey, and personality test, I facilitate communal methodologies that result in endless collections of data. I borrow language from dating applications, bureaucratic forms, behavioral studies labs and pseudoscience by recreating the alienation that is contained in standardized contexts to raise questions about the manipulation of the user.

Artwork