McCarthy attempts to become a human version of Amazon Alexa, a smart home intelligence for people in their own homes. The performance lasts several days. It begins with an installation of a series of custom-designed networked smart devices (including cameras, microphones, switches, door locks, faucets, and other electronic devices) in someone’s residence. She then remotely watches over the person 24/7 and controls all aspects of their home. She aims at being better than an AI because as a person, she can understand the resident and anticipate their needs. The relationship that emerges falls in the ambiguous space between human-machine and human-human.
LAUREN is a meditation on the smart home, the tensions between intimacy vs privacy, convenience vs agency it presents, and the role of human labor in the future of automation.
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