French artist/photographer ‘s ongoing series plays into a source of existential angst for basically every human in 2019: man’s relationship with robots. By staging several humanoid robots in realistic reconstructions of day-to-day domestic scenes, ‘The Man Machine’ project reflects on how artificial creatures such as robots or other avatars can evolve in our day-to-day life.
“My aim was to create a balance between the spectator and the robot, between a process of identification and distance. We find this idea in the ‘the Uncanny Valley’ – a scientific theory elaborated by the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori which states that the more a robot resembles a human being, the more its imperfections seem monstrous to us. The current development of these artificial creatures in our society brings fascination but also the frightening issue of the social acceptance of these changes,” Fournier explains.
Fournier creates speculative situations that suggest both empathy and detachment towards the robot, such as at work, at home, in the streets, and having fun. In each scenario, humans and robots are poised to coexist. However, Fournier places the robot as the centre of attention in many of the images, actively ‘doing’ as opposed to the humans passively observing and letting the robot take the lead. This is where our subconscious angst comes in, regarding whether robots have too much control and authority in the hierarchy of our everyday lives.
After all, AI is at the forefront of major business ventures and product development these days, so a utopian future dominated by high tech doesn’t feel all that distant. On the flipside, Fournier presenting the robots in innocent situations such as riding a bike or playing basketball with kids humanizes them in such a way that provokes sympathy and emotion in the viewer. The images manage to be absurd, probable, disconcerting, and kind of cute all at once.
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