#510 Framing Effect

Filler on board, oak panel
My works are not painted but cast in oak panels using standard wall filler.

The Framing Effect is a cognitive bias in which our judgment is affected by the presentation of a set of choices. For example, in a study, 62% of people disagreed with allowing “public condemnation of democracy,” but only 46% agreed that it was right to “forbid public condemnation of democracy.” Interestingly enough, this effect seems to get stronger with age.

Social Engineering
The works in the series feature stone imprints and a composition made with rulers and/or compasses, the instruments used by architects and engineers to divide space. The term social engineering has mainly been used to describe how socialist states tried to indoctrinate their citizens. However, it also played an integral part in constructing the Scandinavian welfare society in the 20th century. Extensive housing projects and health, education, and pension system reforms reshaped how people lived and viewed themselves. Introducing childcare and maternity care changed family structures and views on gender and identity. The period coincides with modernism in art and architecture, which the series references.

In recent years, the term has become relevant in digital security, political campaigns, public relations and similar fields that seek to influence individual decision-making by exploiting our cognitive biases. These are examples of areas where our judgement systematically deviates from a rational basis. But at the same time, they can be understood as descriptions of different aspects of human nature: stubborn, impulsive, emotional, safety-oriented, unforgiving, etc. They make us vulnerable and manipulable, but we lose our character and uniqueness without them.
All works in the series are titled after cognitive biases in belief formation, decision-making and human behaviour.