Let Me Fix You

At first sight Let Me Fix You is an ASMR video, similar to the many others that appear on Youtube specializing in »robot repair,« where the viewer takes the position of the robot in question. The video follows a young woman who slowly and quietly goes through different steps of what one imagines as robot repair. However Let Me Fix You quickly takes an unfamiliar turn: instead of going into the details of nuts and bolts that will be replaced in the viewer’s imaginary robotic body, the woman starts talking about ethics of care, the emotional alienation caused by care robots and the problematic association of care with women rather than humans. Slowly, the viewer starts to realize that they are one of those care robots and that the woman repairing them does not have their best interest in mind.
The video uses sociological and scientific research, as well as elements of pop culture (for example the appearance of the famous Paro seal in the Netflix show Master of None) to question the effects and the place of robotics in the care industry, notably the quickly expanding elderly care market.

Dasha Ilina is a Russian digital artist based in Paris, France. Her work questions the relationship we have with our devices and their interfaces, and transforms the answers into digital and physical works of art that are interactive, educational and often ironic and entertaining. She is the founder of the Center for Technological Pain, a center dedicated to combating illnesses that arise from interacting with technological devices. She is also a co-director of NØ SCHOOL.