Practice · 2013–2015

Gate Control Theory

In their 1965 "Gate Control Theory of Pain," Melzack and Wall proposed that pain could be reduced by competing stimuli — pressure or cold — which travel through the nervous system faster than pain signals, effectively closing the gate to pain before it reaches the brain.

O'Connell applies this theory to the psychological function of casino carpet design. The bold, chaotic patterns of Las Vegas casino carpets are engineered to keep gamblers alert and engaged — designed to overwhelm the senses and direct the subconscious. Working through silkscreen on coloured wax in welded steel trays, O'Connell manipulates these patterns through techniques drawn from massage therapy: rubbing, kneading, tapping. The intervention proposes a moment of relief — a competing stimulus that might, briefly, close the gate.

There are seven strategies a casino can deploy to keep you at the table. One is the deliberate induction of hallucination through design — overwhelming perspective, directing the subconscious. The works apply the same principles, using colour theory and pattern to ask how art might do the same, or undo it.