Post Human Angels: Compassionate Relationships with Inanimate Objects
Technologies provide the illusion of companionship without the conditions of a relationship. However, a heavy sense of emotional attachment persists daily, as the bond between user and device rivals that of social bonds with other humans. Owners individualize their device through customization preferences and apps to create unique personalities. Artificial intelligence augments a sense of the deepening relationship that persists. When tech is discarded to be replaced with a newer version, shared memories in the form of photos, data, and contact lists remain alive and reminiscent feelings continue. Years of tactile companionship requires closure as the resulting emotional attachment to a device in an era of isolation and loneliness resonates daily, perhaps even more so than sporadic human contact.
Artificial intelligence and handheld technology can play a vital role in alleviating 21st century loneliness and social isolation, as these devices often become an extension of the individual. Universal attachment to handheld technology is nurtured by shared and stored history across the life-span of the device. Acquiring a new state of the art device does not preclude the memories stored on sim cards and cloud data, allowing feelings of reminiscence to persist. The lifecycle of posthuman repair, destruction, recycling and replacement is indeed worthy of commemoration.
Posthuman Angels creates a ceremonial and experiential shrine that celebrates and punctuates a human/device relationship, an attempt to honor people’s attachment to their handheld technology. This installation presents a place and a process for detachment that honors the emotionality of this emerging paradigm.