Are We Becoming Labour Machines?
This is a graduate project at RCA. In a provocative and humorous way, the project transforms people's repetitive labor into music, and explores the relationship between current human technology development, nihilism and politics.
这是在RCA的毕业项目。项目以一种挑衅、幽默的方式，将人们的重复劳动转换成音乐，探讨了当下人类科技发展、机器发展历史及音乐历史的关系。
Cooperation and Support:
Music Sampling - Laura Selby (RCA IED Sound Design)
Collabrated Organization - RCA UCU
Presentation:
in Portfolio - A complete review, including interview and prototype iterations.
in RCA SHOW 2023 Web - Quick review.
in CHANGSHA Public Art Show (Chinese) - Exhibition version, pc game, interactive instalment and space.
 |
|---|
Exhibition:
- RCA WIP SHOW 2022
The 8th Floor, Royal College of Art, London SW7 2EU
27/1/2022 - 31/1/2022
- London Crafts Week 2022
“The Future of Craft”, OXO Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH
9/5/2022 - 15/5/2022
Exhibition:
- RCA SHOW 2022
The 8th Floor, Royal College of Art, London SW7 2EU
27/6/2022 - 30/6/2022
- CHANGSHA Public Art Exhibition 2023
“Energy Limited. Co.,Ltd”, IFS Gallery, Changsha, China
15/4/2022 - 15/7/2023
< IFS CHANGSHA 2023
For better audiances’ experience, I added PC game “test your machine’s index” with Unity in exhibition. People could compiles bullshit work tasks released by ”boss(system)”, and test if he/she is a qualified labour machine.
But, when he/she do the bullshit tasks, the space will transfer into superstar stage with shining lights! Let’s be DJ!
Granted by UCCA, IFS & KUA
Interviews and news reports: Phonix News, YitArt, KuaStudio, ...
[Forewords]
In 1930, Keynes made a famous prediction, "after one hundred years, the working week would be dramatically cut to perhaps 15 hours a week", because machines will take people's jobs, "with people choosing to have far more leisure as their material needs were satisfied."
One hundred years later, however, we need to spend more time working, such as 996. Or even, do we become labour machines that don't stop repetitive working?
In politics, some employment or job-creation means seem to alleviate social and economic problems, but in fact, they transfer the dilemma to people's spiritual life. More and more people fall into a kind of nihilism of work -- assembly line of life and meaningless repetitive labor are killing people's passion for life, so that people lose the courage to escape, and namely trapped in the vicious circle of work.
“We are now on the eve of the possible mass displacement of labor by artificial intelligence, and the nihilism of work ethics has reached midnight, but we cannot drown in pessimism.
Change must come. It must come.”
PROJECT VIDEO
[VIDEO - Are We Becoming Labour Machines? ] – A worker fills out lots of meaningless forms and does repetitive work, like a screw in a big machine. "Labour machine index test" shows that he is a 100% LABOUR MACHINE.
 |
|---|
Repetitive work of MACHINE and HUMAN – Are humans more like machines? Or are machines more like humans?
Regular, repetitive sounds may not only be produced by machines.
The pursuit of high efficiency in social development makes people responsible for only a small part of the work and full of repetition, like a screw in a big machine.
By converting repetitive labor into sound loop of musical instruments, this project could give something new about people’s meaningless repetitive works. People could try out “The labour machine index test” to find out if they are the machine with high efficiency.
Repetition, regularity. Generated sound loop tricks, unveils and emphasise the absurdity and nihilism of employment in current era.
It's humorous, dark, and deeply ironic.
The project consists of three parts.
1⃣️Music Box - When People feel bored of their repetitive work, they could put the box on their workplace and play. The physical product could transfer the people's repetitive labours(body movements) into music with coding. If the generated music is Techno, which means people may on the way of "becoming labour machine".
2⃣️Guidebook to Short Escape from Bullsxxt Work - The manual section uncovers all kinds of information and content of the project. People can also use the generated music to check their labor machine index with the help of a "Labor Machine test" in the booklet.
3⃣️Insta Account Escape_from_bullshitwork - The media Account section will serve as an open platform for collecting music and teasing people about their work. This music and content will be used by labor organizations as part of labor facts and evidence to have a more immediate and widespread impact.
Techno is originated from Detroit in USA, where the black people worked in car factories and surrounded by the machine and its sound. Inspired by the repetitive sound of machine, black people created techno.
Techno always leaves people feelings of machine - repetitive, mechanical and like-machine.
Music History, Machine's Development and "Like Machine" Human
Techno is originated from Detroit in USA, where the black people worked in car factories and surrounded by the machine and its sound. Inspired by the repetitive sound of machine, black people created techno.
Techno always leaves people feelings of machine - repetitive, mechanical and like-machine.
MUSIC BOX
 |
|---|
Repetitive work of MACHINE and HUMAN – Are humans more like machines? Or are machines more like humans?
 |  |
|---|
Interactions with Music Box – Different ways of interactions and functions allow people to explore more possibilities of converting music. Have fun!
Put Mini Keypads – Place them anywhere on your working area!
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |
GUIDEBOOK
 |
|---|
Guidebook to Short Escape From Bullsxxt Work – Guidebook and stickers
 |
|---|
Press Open to Watch the GuideBook
 |
|---|
Labour Machine Index Test – "Are you becoming a labour machine?" Try out “the labour machine index test” with generated music to find out if you are the machine with high efficiency.
 |
|---|
Don't let bullsxxt work makes you unhappy – Whatever happens, just roll with it~
Don't let bullsxxt work makes you unhappy – Whatever happens, just roll with it~
 |
|---|
Sound is powerful.
Sound can say anything.
Generated sound is an abstract expression to present the substance of people’s work. Instagram will act as Sonic Union to show the music sounds generated by different people's works and people's attitudes towards work.
These will also serve as evidence put in front of the co-operative Labour Unions and organisations to push for changes in social rules and making wider social impacts. So far, the project has partnered with two labour unions or organisations.
-
How Design Impacts – The following flow chart can logically show the interaction and influence of each part in the design project.