Helplessness

Inspired by: Lisa Huurman's "Displaying Desperation"

I like how clearly the feeling of helplessness is felt from the artwork "Can't Help Myself". I think any robot which is doing a Sisyphean task will clearly evoke this feeling, so I think it's a great way to represent the human sensation of being helpless.

My idea for a machine that represents helplessness would be a little water wheel-powered cup trying to move water from a water resevoir into its water wheel's tank, to power itself. But the cup is full of holes/the robot is slow/it spills the water occasionally, so eventually the water wheel runs out of water and the robot is no longer functioning.

I think it'd be interesting to make it interactable, so that the viewer can refill the water wheel and the robot continues its task. The viewer's involvement could also help with the feeling of helplessness, since the viewer becomes aware that the robot would not be able to continue functioning without outside help.