Fueled by an economic system that evaluates each individual based on their productivity, humans and machines are in competition with each other. In an effort to improve in order to stay relevant and benefit the society they belong to, they find themselves in a constant mode of self-exploitation. One works because one can, and not because one must. But due to an anomaly a robot abandons the assembly lines to explore an idle and independent existence.

The video series Retraining Laziness follows a conversation between a human worker and a malfunctioning robot as they discuss unhealthy production conditions and their own relationship to work and time.


^{With borrowed texts by: André Rauch, Harun Farocki, Catalina Schröder/Hans Rusinek/Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Quora users, Youtube comments, Sinneswandel podcast, Elon Musk}

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<sup>This work was realised within the framework of a European Media Art Platform residency program at FACT, Liverpool with support of the Creative Europe Culture Programme of the European Union.


With further support by:

Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES)

Installation views from the exhibition Cool Machines in 2023 at Kunstraum Remise (Bludenz, AT) and STWST48-9 / Cold Heaven at Stadtwerkstatt (Linz, AT).</sup>

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<sup>Sound: M T Hall
Voices: Aila Ben Franken, Caroline Baas
Vocal recording: Daniel Bucher
Additional 3D and animation: Péter Várnai
3D scan / puppet: Chris Harrison
Text and graphic support: Sebastian Grande, Ráhel Anna Molnár
Thanks to: Benedikt Scheitnagl

Documentation ‘Cool Machines’: Matthias Guido Braudisch</sup>