ENGLISH
kill switch
six contemporary artists invite us to reflect
on loss, displacement, and hope
Gema Álava
Graham Fagen
Suso Fandiño
Misha Bies Golas
Travis Somerville
Melissa Vandenberg
Until July 29, 2017
Maus Contemporary
2411 Second Avenue North. Birmingham, ALABAMA. 35203
A kill switch, also known as an emergency stop or e-stop, is a safety mechanism used to shut off a device or machinery in an emergency situation in which it cannot be shut down in the usual manner. Unlike a normal shut-down switch/procedure, which shuts down all systems in an orderly fashion and turns the machine off without damaging it, a kill switch is designed and configured to completely and as quickly as possible abort the operation (even if this damages equipment) and be operable in a manner that is quick and simple (so that even a panicking operator with impaired executive function or a bystander can activate it). Kill switches are usually designed so as to be obvious even to an untrained operator or a bystander.