The Machine Paradox
Last updated
Last updated
Have you ever watched Futurama? One of the most famous characters is Bender, a drunk, maniacal robot. His behavior is unpredictable, and his function as a robot… unclear. In a way, most of the machines in our daily lives are like Bender: we cannot fully understand them. I mean, your fridge is obviously not an alcoholic, and if a beer goes missing in there, it’s probably your fault.
What I mean is that we don’t really know how or why the machines around us function, even though we are becoming more dependent on them every day. The Machine Paradox, for me, is about that: tackling these questions. What are machines? How do machines work? What should we make of them? Are we even capable of fully understanding and acting upon them at all?
My notes for this seminar can be divided in two parts:
Machinery of the absurd, things that got me thinking (Theoretical)
Obsolescence Forensic Reports (Practical)
The Useless Machine Project (Practical)
During class—and especially while working on the brief to create a “useless machine” for the seminar project—I found myself reflecting a lot on the concept of utility. Nearly every machine around us is designed with performance in mind. In fact, you could argue that society as a whole is obsessed with performance. I’m sure you’d agree.
This got me interested in a different perspective, let’s call it the literary study of machines. Instead of focusing on syntax or grammar—the practical functions—we could explore machine poetics, semiotics, and aesthetics. I loved the idea of taking machines for a ride on the Roman Jakobson’s poetic train: shifting the focus from the message’s content or purpose to its form—its sound, structure, or surface.
“The poetic function focuses on the message for its own sake”.
Linguistics and Poetics, JAKOBSON.
Does all the meaning we attribute to technology always need to be driven by an economical idea of productivity? Is what got me thinking the most.
Some exemples were given in class that tackle this question, somehow. These ones in particular caught my attention:
Chindogu
Chindogu can be defined as a collective artistic practice in Japan that uses absurd and humoristic concepts to challenge the idea of function. It is particular interesting and provocative concept for a world where we all assume that a new, "techy" way to do something is always better.
School For Poetic Computation
The School for Poetic Computation mentioned during class resonated a lot with my ideas. They explore exactly what I am talking about here within an unique educational package.
And in my own time…
Dada-based design
I wrote a piece of research on a topic inspired by that: a phone-throwing championship held in Finland and what I called “dada-based design”.
The first practical exercise to explore the topic was called Forensic Investigation. We threw a bunch of old electronics in the middle of the class and chose one (or more) to dissemble it. The point was to like anatomy: making sense of the individual components and how they interact in order to have insights about the ontological questions I mentioned before: What are machines? How do machines work? What should we make of them? Are we even capable of fully understanding and acting upon them at all?
Phillips Spotify Multiroom Speaker
Model Number: SW750M/12
Serial Number: LM1A1440001069
Colour: Black
Made in: China
Input: DC15V - 2A
A “Jeff Koons” Era Speaker
The first machine we selected was a speaker. At first glance, it appeared to be beautifully designed: its case had rounded edges and rested at an angled, unique position. In a way, it was this "prettiness" that initially drew us to the object. But while "prettiness" is one thing, design is another. From the beginning, the speaker's external simplicity and smoothness presented a tough challenge for our forensic goals: this speaker came from the somewhat confusing era of digital devices: the 2010s. Notably, it had no physical input ports—its only connection method was Bluetooth. To complicate matters further, it could only work with Spotify. 😅
It reminded me of Byung-Chul Han’s ideas about pretty, soft, and seamless surfaces. He argues that by rounding sharp edges and softening surfaces, objects become more humanly approachable. The South Korean philosopher uses Jeff Koons’ sculptures, like the balloon dog, as examples of harmless and appealing objects.
To me, this speaker became the "balloon dog speaker": smooth and inviting on the outside but hiding many aggressive design choices within. These include the lack of ports and the almost impossible-to-reach screws, which seem deliberately designed to discourage disassembly (essentially screaming, "Don’t even try it!").
After finally taking it apart, my awesome collegues toyed a bit connecting its components to our Arduino (Barduino) kits. You can explore those cool experiments in the complete documentation for the Ballon Dog Speaker here.
Well, I am not sure why, but We ended up taking a part another machine. This time, a very straightforward one: an electrical stove top.
