Tormented bots

Fernando Orellana 's Unending Enclosure features IR-equipped robots imprisoned in wooden columns, living in constant fear and distrust. Through a small window they can see out and we can see them as they execute paranoid movements and convulsions.

When a human approaches one of the robots, it observes him/her, waiting to see what the viewer does. If the person gets too close, the robot tries to get away by shaking around and making distinct warning sounds. If the viewer stays within a certain distance, the robot will try to communicate. Left on its own, the robot exhibit several types of behaviours, like communicating with other bots via a stream of sounds.

It is questionable that robots will ever fear. However, according to Orellana, a technological paranoia exists, and he attempts to simulate or synthesize social behaviours in today’s digital world, transferring the anxiety but also the curiosity of human beings, and raising again the question of who is controlling who.