The efficacy of effigy

This exhibition, "Objects of Fidelity," is currently on view at La Maison des artistes visuels francophones in Winnipeg. It explores the emotional connections humans form with artificial bodies such as dolls, robots, and mannequins. Emilie St-Hilaire, the Winnipeg visual artist behind the exhibition, has been fascinated by this topic for several years.

St-Hilaire's 2024 PhD dissertation at Concordia University in Montreal examined Reborn Dolls, hyper-realistic art dolls resembling newborns, from a feminist perspective. However, when a robot included in the exhibition started malfunctioning and appeared to be nearing the end of its life, St-Hilaire was prompted to ponder the meaning of "death" for artificial bodies.

The exhibition is a culmination of her work, drawing on insights from doll collectors about the formation of bonds with humanlike objects. St-Hilaire notes that people often take care of dolls, providing them with clothes and cleaning them, while they expect robots to take care of them or perform tasks.

Design choices also influence our emotional bonds with these objects. For example, a small and cute robot in a comedy show prompts the question of how design decisions affect the connection humans form with artificial beings. In her exhibition, St-Hilaire presents a Nao robot, a programmable humanoid robot, which has been a part of her personal connection for a year.

The robot, designed by French company Aldebaran, was eventually laid to rest in a glass box, evoking a sense of loss and comforting symbols like flowers and a placard that reads "Sorry, the robot has died." St-Hilaire invites viewers to reflect on the real emotions of grief and loss that can arise for these synthetic beings.