The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test that was developed by a mother and daughter team, based on C. G Jung’s theories on psychological types. It poses that there are 16 personality types which emerge from a combination of four opposite pairs or dichotomies – Extroversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, Judgement/Perception. Interestingly, the two women, Katharine Cook Briggs and daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, developed the test to assist women adjusting to the industrial workforce, by helping them work out what kind of job would suit their personality.

Enter Bennett Miller. Bennett Miller is an artist from Perth who works across sculpture, installation, video and performance. Bennett work often creates situations that draw people together to observe a common situation in uncommon ways, or where the people or animals (as it may be) are placed into unorthodox strange contexts.

Here is Bennett with his work Dachshund UN which toured internationally in 2012.

For Temporary Democracies, Bennet is canvassing the Airds area and beyond to find one representative for each of the 16 personality types

These 16 personalities will form a group called the Myers-Briggs All Stars for the final presentation in October. Each personality selected will have a costume and perform as a troupe—more “behave” then perform, Bennett tells me. In addition, each personality will have a small dwelling sculpture designed for them; the architecture matching the personality type.

The process of seeking the 16 personality types is also part of the work. The residents will be approached via electronic mail, and also hand delivered mail—a bespoke letter with drawings and handwritten tests for them to respond to. The approach considers the different personalities and their preferred modes of response.  As Bennett describes it: “The handwritten document is very different from the online one. But it’s also [about] a kind of pointless data and useless data. So there will be numbers and figures from thousands of letters going out, just to pull in four people; and then if you get responses from people that are unique and personal. then they can be kind of drawn out. It’s just a case of drawing a picture of what the search is and how vast it needs to be and what people think of it—including if they hate it”

Bennett Miller will be on site from the 1st May to test and recruit potential embers of the Myers-Briggs All Stars. If you think it could be of interest to you then contact Bennett on: bennettmillerart [at] gmail [dot] com