Looking Outwards 01: The Impact of  “Can’t Help Myself” by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

Alexia Forsyth

Aug 31, 2022

15-104 Section A

The Impact of  “Can’t Help Myself” by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

“Can’t Help Myself” is the embodiment of trying to dig yourself out of a hole. I’ve never seen another piece that visually describes what can usually not be put into words. The project is unique in its unapologetic devastation. I think the piece is really relevant in this current social climate, where mental health issues are most concerning in our generation. Essentially, the robot repeatedly attempts to scrape up red fluid. It turns and the red splatters more, when it looks back, the red has just spread back to its original mess. The machine is incapable of stopping, of learning. It quite literally cannot help itself. Sun Yuan and Peng Yu were commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum in 2016. As the years have passed, the robot has rusted and slowed, creating a dismal scene. The artists created the code themselves and gave the robot 32 series of movements like “bow and shake” or “scratch an itch”. This robot’s life long mission will lead to nowhere and be the death of it. The piece shines a light on issues that will continue to ravage the world, almost to no end. Looking at the political world, it is interesting to think about the impact of change and big concepts like the meaning of life and so on. The video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS4Bpr2BgnE&ab_channel=VernissageTV.

Work Cited

Hampsink, Iris Olde. “Can’t Help Myself – How a Relatable Robot Offers a Critical Reflection on Modern Society.” Diggit Magazine, 28 Feb. 2022, https://www.diggitmagazine.com/papers/can-t-help-myself-how-relatable-robot-offers-critical-reflection-modern-society.