Manege first incorporated the square by its western facade as exhibition space in 2016. Now, it is continuing to explore the theme of art in the outdoor urban environment. From 19 July, the space will be used for a large-scale installation by Russian art collective Recycle Group which will focus on the themes of malfunctioning machines and systems failure. This collaboration forms part of preparations for an upcoming exhibition dedicated to Recycle Group at Manege.

Recycle Group’s project You Have Reached Your Destination consists of two parts – physical and virtual. It explores the boundaries of confrontation between human and artificial intelligence.

For almost two months, the square by Manege’s western facade will be transformed into a chaotic city car park, with vehicles standing in gridlock, flouting road markings, blocking one another, and making it impossible to leave. The parking scheme is determined by a protocol which is both inconvenient and counterintuitive to humans. It is brought on by a blind adherence to GPS, which either issues an error, or is guided by its own logic which cannot be comprehended by the human mind.

The virtual part of the project consists of a mirror image of the square in the sky, where the cars have assumed control of their movements. This reflection can be viewed through an AR app created by Recycle Group. As the viewer witnesses the scene unfold, the artists pose the question: is chaos the result of error, or is it a conspiracy developed by artificial intelligence?