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Recently I had a conversation with a friend of mine. I told him that, at least for now, I don’t really mind whether I have a relationship or not. He answered that for now this may be fine, but after studying I should slowly start ‘searching’ for someone; because that’s just how it works. But does it really work like that?
Looking around me, it does seem like you need ‘someone’. People around me are heavily searching for love; or better said, for a relationship. Maybe to fill a need they can’t fill themselves? While at the same time wanting to be independent. Dependently independent? And if everyone is spending their evenings with their partner during the week, can’t we still have dinner parties sometimes on a random Tuesday? Or is the whole week reserved for one person?
Not only emotionally, but also practically. Is it even possible for the average citizen to buy a house on their own? Elderly homes are overcrowded, and many rely on the help of their partner while waiting to go a place up on the waiting list. Do we need a partner to survive, in this individualistic society? A society where community slowly fades in favour of self-sufficiency, with a little help of your partner ofcourse.
So do we need a partner? Do computers need a partner? Can they survive without one?
The Two is an installation by David Bowen consisting of two identical robots slowly ‘falling in love’ with each other. As time passes, the robots (running on a deep neural network) begin to recognize and grow familiar with one another. Sometimes they are drawn to each other; sometimes they repel one another and sometimes they rest, only to start searching for each other again. A subtle, playful interplay between two robotic arms.
The installation raises the question: can robots fall in love?
But what if two artificial creatures are already in love? Can they live independently? Or will they crash?
The installation I would like to build features two old computers, dependent on each other in order not to crash. While they are within reach of one another, their normal program runs. But when they are separated (measured with an Arduino sensor), they slowly begin to fail and eventually fade to black.
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