arebyte’s artistic residency programme presents PURE PROFIT, a multi-site installation unfolding across 11 ATMs throughout London. This work was developed from January to July 2026 by artist Raza Tariq as part of his residency at arebyte Digital Art Centre and responding to arebyte’s 2023-2026 curatorial theme, The Body, The Mind, The Soul.

In PURE PROFIT, Raza explores ATMs as technological ruins while reimagining them as civic altars. In doing so, the ATMs become sites of inquiry into the commodification of religious life and the emergence of a techno spiritual order.

ATMs are rapidly becoming obsolete, increasingly occupying urban landscapes as abandoned pieces of infrastructure. Since their introduction in Japan in the 1960s, our relationship with cash has undergone a profound transformation. As financial services have migrated to digital platforms, the vast majority of everyday transactions and asset management now take place online, leaving the once ubiquitous cash machine as a relic of a previous era. 

By repurposing these urban relics into micro spiritual sites, Raza draws a parallel with the growing monetization of spirituality and the forms of religious devotion emerging around technological innovation.

To access the works, visitors must collect a ‘Talisman Ledger’ from arebyte’s front desk. By scanning the talisman with their phones, they can unlock a digital map that reveals a pilgrimage route connecting the 11 ATMs, each positioned by the artists in a symbolic location.

At each site, participants are invited to perform a ritual in exchange for a fragment of narrative and directions to the next location in the trail. Upon completing the journey and returning to arebyte, visitors receive wisdom from a living Sufi Sheikha.

PURE PROFIT launched on Saturday, 20 June 2026 at 2:30pm with a brief introduction by Raza Tariq and Pita Arreola, Head of Programmes at arebyte. The conversation began at arebyte Digital Art Centre, followed by a short guided tour to the first two ATMs in the trail, both located within walking distance of the venue.

Opening Event
Sat 20 Jun

EXHIBITION CREDITS

Artist Raza Tariq
Curator Pita Arreola
Creative Technologist
Henrique Lázaro