Glitching Optimization in a Few Steps

“Glitching Optimization in a Few Steps,” a lecture-performance by Julie-Michèle Morin, explores robotics through deliberate failures, critiquing neoliberal norms of optimization and productivity. Robots—such as Roborock S8, IGUS Rebel Cobot, Thymio, and Spot—are staged failing humorous and poetic tasks, subverting traditional performance expectations. Drawing on queer theories of failure as activism, the project aims to challenge techno-capitalist imperatives, recentering marginalized perspectives. The performance blends academic insights, intimate personal stories, and robotic misadventures to provoke critical reflections on the human desire for constant efficiency and perfection. Video editing and live technical cues were supported by fellow Founding Lab participant Letta Shtohryn.

Impact / Outreach

This project uses staged robotic failures as activism, challenging productivity norms through interactive public performances. Blending theory, humor, and storytelling, it invites audiences to reconsider societal ideals of success and the role of technology in shaping them.

:see the project poster

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