Anna Berry’s art installation The Constantly Moving Happiness Machine expands the perspective of the Forschungscampus Dahlem’sDenkRaum(Think Tank Space) in its current exploration of “Time & Temporality”. The work sheds light on the entanglement of time, consumption and manipulation, examining the acceleration of consumption and the incessant creation of needs as a mechanism of our economic system. Anna Berry guides visitors into a reflective examination of their role as consumers and unconscious participation in global capitalism. Free admission.

Anna Berry’s artwork, The Constantly Moving Happiness Machine, is interactive, with visitors turning a crank to set the installation in motion. They experience immediate fulfilment of their desires, replicating the processes occurring in everyday consumer behaviour. Yet behind the seemingly harmless gesture lies a deeper message: the objects consist of books whose contents reflect Ayn Rand’s ideological texts and promote the principles of neoliberal market capitalism.

The work prompts visitors to become aware of their unconscious willingness to participate in advertising and marketing strategies while scrutinising manipulation occurring within a consumption-oriented society. Resonating within this inquiry is also a critical reflection on productivity, overtime and the impact of the manipulation caused by consumer behaviour. The Constantly Moving Happiness Machine invites us to question our tacit approval of capitalism and the mechanisms of self-seduction, encouraging us to look carefully at time, the economy and our behaviour as consumers.

In addition to The Constantly Moving Happiness Machine, the exhibition presents Anna Berry’s photographs from her COVID series and her still lifes, in which the artist humorously reinterprets classical themes. With her special way of seeing, she successfully portrays ordinary subjects with a tongue-in-cheek touch that encourages us to consider them playfully yet thoughtfully.

The Forschungscampus Dahlem

The Forschungscampus Dahlem (FC Dahlem) is a new research and presentation venue of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SPK, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation). Various competencies are brought together here to develop and convey knowledge about material and immaterial cultures. The FC Dahlem’s primary focus is to make research processes transparent and encourage participation by various interest groups. Its work is reflected in the keywords “Kulturen – Forschen – Dinge – Wissen” (Cultures – Research – Things – Knowledge). The FC Dahlem supports equitable collaborations and promotes the elimination of knowledge hierarchies.

Time and Temporality, a DenkRaum of the Forschungscampus Dahlem, is funded by the Kuratorium Preußischer Kulturbesitz.

A presentation in the Time and Temporality DenkRaum at the Forschungscampus Dahlem – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz