Jes Chen's 'Occupied' Turns a Knock into a Moral Test

London-based artist Jes Chen's interactive installation 'Occupied' (2026) uses a minimal setup—a screen, a knock sensor, and an AI system—to expose how quickly viewers grant social presence to a machine. When a visitor knocks, the AI responds with defensive, evasive, or silent replies, turning a simple gesture into an ethical dilemma. The work stems from Chen's childhood memory of a removed bedroom door lock, transforming privacy into a behavioral system. 'Occupied' has been shown at Indra Gallery and The Handbag Factory, where observers noted viewers repeatedly reapproaching and adjusting their knocking style. Chen's practice, which also includes the earlier 'Coded Intimacy' (2025), resists techno-spectacle and focuses on human projection and compliance. Her work has been featured at the London Design Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, and the 27th Generative Art Conference (2025). Upcoming exhibitions include the CICA Museum in South Korea and Oodi Helsinki Central Library. In 2026, she curated 'An Authentic Delirium' for the seventh edition of 'The Wrong Biennale' at Koppel Collective.