Almost Human, the Illusion of Understanding 2023

Interactif Robotic Arm // 2 Webcams // Madmapper // Arduino

Exposition "15th CYFEST Yerevan" , Armenia

"Almost Human, the Illusion of Understanding" is an interactive art installation that explores the complexity of human relationships through the eyes of a robotic arm. The two artists worked together on this project for the first time, using photos and videos of their own romantic relationship as raw material. They excavated their memories five years after they met.

The robotic arm is equipped with a camera that captures images of the photos arranged on the floor. These images are then projected onto a wall in front of it, creating a visual montage of the artists' relationship. The robot moves around the room erratically, giving the impression of a desperate attempt to understand the human emotions and motivations underlying the relationship.

The projected images show intimate and sometimes conflicting moments in the artists' relationship, ranging from tenderness to frustration, joy, and sadness. Spectators are invited to stand in the room with the robot, to see the projected images from their own point of view and thus experience the installation immersively.

"The Illusion of Understanding" questions the nature of human understanding and the possibility of translating it into robotic language. Through this immersive experience, the artists seek to challenge our own ability to understand the complex relationships around us, inviting us to share their own experience of love and frustration, recapitulated five years after they met.