User:Thijshijsijsjss/Human Parser/The Robot Assembly Line and Social Performance Testing Facility
The Robot Assembly Line and Social Performance Testing Facility was a factory, performance and simulation game during XPUB2's first public moment, 2024-11-04.
Upon entering the facility, a [human] was asked to wait on one of 12 chairs on account of the business of the facility. After an arbitrary waiting period, a [human] was called forward. A [robot] supervisor introduced them to the facility using a script, and handed the [human] their form. With this form, they went through 4 station in the the assembly line:
- Robot Creation Station, where a [human] was invited to describe a robot, using a Jitterbook as a Robot Reference Guide
- Robot Evaluation Station, where a [human] was asked to fill out a list of question (an adapted list of questions from a very perverted 'does your toddler have autism screening')
- Form Credibility Station, where an application form could be signed using a pen plotter
- Human Evaluation Station, where a [human] was asked to similarly describe themselves
Throughout, the line between robot and human became blurrier. After completion of the assembly line process, a participant could decide to become a supervisor themselves.
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Some design notes:
- The waiting chairs were facing the assembly line, and that way served a double function: mimicking caconically awkward waiting rooms, and forming an audience to watch the performance playing out in front of them.
- Every station had a lamp pointed to it. This was partly for setting atmosphere, but also in part to mimick the way a videogame usually presents just one 'menu' at a time.
Some feedback I've received
- [Still considering if and how I want to put that here :)]
Some reflections taken from my diary page
It had been a very abstract task to design for this public moment. For starters because my project trajectory was still very much up in the air. Then, once it it started to crystallize, the forming pieces were describing a video game -- one that does not exist yet. Instead, I decided to explore the theme, narrative style and atmosphere in a performance-like simulation game.
While desinging a purposefully mechanical, explicitly anti-personal experience, I was hoping to find how it can be highly personal, intimate and human at the same time.. I'm very content with how it came together. In particular, I have gotten feedback that there was a strong atmosphere that was ultimately very human. I'm very happy with that. And I was very touched by the participation of others in this experience, and touched by experiencing this intimacy with them. [human], if you're reading this: I've been dreaming about you.
Now I'm left with a whole stack of application forms, and another abstract task arises... how to process this?