Artist Confeere's installation "Reality Blocker" addresses the topic of technology and how it has distanced people from reality.
When we photographed him, the cell phone he was holding in his hand had already disappeared. It's something that can happen when you make art to be exhibited on the street: you're at the mercy of the whole urban context. But the message is still there: "Reality Blocker" is an installation by the artist Confeere that will not have gone unnoticed by all the people who have passed by Entrecampos train station or the Avenida da República cycle path in recent weeks.
"Reality Blocker" tackles the subject of technology and how it has distanced people from reality. The work was developed as part of the Public Art Program of the Underdogs Galleryin partnership with Urban Art Gallery (GAU)Lisbon City Council, and the Infraestruturas de Portugal, which manages railway stations.
Made from recycled fabrics"Reality Blocker" is also a call for a transition to a circular economy in the textile industry, thus contributing to sustainable development and tackling the problem of waste. The work belongs to 26-year-old artist Bruno Gonçalves, who signs as Confeere.
According to the artist, we are increasingly alone and focused on the screens of the various technological devices to which we have access, abstracting ourselves from what is going on around us. It quickly turned from a distraction into an addiction. This piece, being permanent, symbolizes just that. The figure is there day and night, only focused on his cell phone (which has probably been snatched by someone in the meantime), completely ignoring what is going on around him.
In a station like Entrecampos, the cell phone is usually an escape from the reality of waiting - which can sometimes take many minutes - for the next train. The location of "Reality Blocker" therefore takes on a more refined meaning.
