Cognisant
cackling in the trenches
- Local time
- Today 1:31 AM
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2009
- Messages
- 11,155
This artwork features a black industrial robot arm in a white room sweeping a viscous blood-like substance towards itself and periodically taking a break from the Sisyphean task of keeping this substance contained to perform dance-like motions.
What this work of art means or is meant to represent changes depending upon who you ask and seemingly when you ask them. Some articles citing the artists’ explained that the robot’s inability to keep the substance contained is an expression of the dynamic and ineffable definition of art, which is quite amusing when you learn of the controversy surrounding this artwork. The more recent and widely accepted citation of the artists’ intent is that the robot sweeping up blood represents “the violence experienced in border zones” with themes of authoritarianism and the oppressive influence of technology.
There’s another interpretation that came from someone on TikTok, the wrote a whole story about how the robot is sweeping up its own blood like hydraulic fluid to keep itself running, working to save itself from its ultimately inevitable demise, periodically dancing to express the joy of living, a frivolous expenditure of time that it is increasingly unable to afford and unable to perform as the wear caused by its constant motion makes the leaks worse.
This reinterpretation of the artwork was far more popular than the work itself and I think the reasons for that are twofold. First it actually fits with what the robot is doing, the whole recycling leaked hydraulic oil thing was completely made up but what the robot was doing really seems to be a struggle against entropy. Whereas the artists’ supposed intent for the artwork gives no explanation as to why the robot periodically took breaks from its task to have a little dance, an action that made it seem more relatable to the audience who were supposedly meant to see it as an oppressor.
Secondly I think the artists’ intent was just kinda dumb, saying this work represents “the violence experienced in border zones” is essentially expressing that something obviously bad is bad and not adding any further insight or offering any kind of solution. It’s factually correct, how refugees and immigrants are treated as political leverage by nations around the world is horrendous but if all you have to contribute is stating the obvious, that something bad is bad, then of course nobody fucking cares. Indeed I find it quite insulting (and pretentious of the artists) to expect us to take this work seriously solely because it’s about something serious, true enough the treatment of refugees and immigrants is a huge problem but what does this do to help?
Does it raise awareness? Arguably not since people are finding the oppressor more relatable than the supposedly oppressed fluid, indeed I would go so far as to accuse the artists of changing their alleged authorial intent out of jealousy after the reinterpretation of the artwork overshadowed the artwork itself.
Also I think relying on people to interpret a black robot as something evil because it’s black, and it’s a robot, is inane and lazy, and I quite enjoyed the fact that many people were able to look past the superficial symbolism and relate to the robot in a way the artists never intended.
What this work of art means or is meant to represent changes depending upon who you ask and seemingly when you ask them. Some articles citing the artists’ explained that the robot’s inability to keep the substance contained is an expression of the dynamic and ineffable definition of art, which is quite amusing when you learn of the controversy surrounding this artwork. The more recent and widely accepted citation of the artists’ intent is that the robot sweeping up blood represents “the violence experienced in border zones” with themes of authoritarianism and the oppressive influence of technology.
There’s another interpretation that came from someone on TikTok, the wrote a whole story about how the robot is sweeping up its own blood like hydraulic fluid to keep itself running, working to save itself from its ultimately inevitable demise, periodically dancing to express the joy of living, a frivolous expenditure of time that it is increasingly unable to afford and unable to perform as the wear caused by its constant motion makes the leaks worse.
This reinterpretation of the artwork was far more popular than the work itself and I think the reasons for that are twofold. First it actually fits with what the robot is doing, the whole recycling leaked hydraulic oil thing was completely made up but what the robot was doing really seems to be a struggle against entropy. Whereas the artists’ supposed intent for the artwork gives no explanation as to why the robot periodically took breaks from its task to have a little dance, an action that made it seem more relatable to the audience who were supposedly meant to see it as an oppressor.
Secondly I think the artists’ intent was just kinda dumb, saying this work represents “the violence experienced in border zones” is essentially expressing that something obviously bad is bad and not adding any further insight or offering any kind of solution. It’s factually correct, how refugees and immigrants are treated as political leverage by nations around the world is horrendous but if all you have to contribute is stating the obvious, that something bad is bad, then of course nobody fucking cares. Indeed I find it quite insulting (and pretentious of the artists) to expect us to take this work seriously solely because it’s about something serious, true enough the treatment of refugees and immigrants is a huge problem but what does this do to help?
Does it raise awareness? Arguably not since people are finding the oppressor more relatable than the supposedly oppressed fluid, indeed I would go so far as to accuse the artists of changing their alleged authorial intent out of jealousy after the reinterpretation of the artwork overshadowed the artwork itself.
Also I think relying on people to interpret a black robot as something evil because it’s black, and it’s a robot, is inane and lazy, and I quite enjoyed the fact that many people were able to look past the superficial symbolism and relate to the robot in a way the artists never intended.
