Bob Bicknell Knight: Insert Coin

About

Insert Coin contains a number of new works centering around loot boxes, with the central piece being a larger-than-life 3D printed replica of a loot box from the popular 2019 video game Apex Legends, a free-to-play battle royale-hero shooter. The loot boxes in Apex Legends are visualised and known as “Loot Ticks” within the game world. Within the game they are a benign form of robotic tick, hidden across a given in-game map and are visualisations of Apex Packs (loot boxes) within the game, purchasable from the in-game store. It is somewhat ironic that Apex Legends has named their loot box after a parasitic arachnid that feeds on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. The work is produced using a marble filament, referencing ideas of power, wealth and commodity, with occasional use of clear filament to speak about issues regarding the lack of transparency within technology companies and the false promises implied by the gambling industry. The Loot Tick is hung in the middle of the gallery, caught in a custom-made bright orange cargo net, as if the loot box has been captured, ready to be dispatched or punished.