#Makefloorsgreatagain

“It is not simply about re-appropriating the instrument but also about re-engineering semiotic systems and reflecting critically on institutions of power and control. Preemptive media’s object is to exploit consumer electronics for a larger purpose, not only to instruct users and consumers but also to foster critical consciousness and a kind of low-tech amateurism.”

- Tactical Media by Rita Raley

Technology is so undeniably embedded in our daily lives in the form of house appliances, media platforms, electronic gadgets, we can become almost blind to it. By hijacking everyday technologies or even making our own, we can jolt ourselves into questioning the ways in which they are created, marketed, and used. Using these pervasive technological systems in ways they were not intended produces an opportunity for guerilla art tactics. MFGA (Make Floors Great Again) is a robotic performance piece. Using an applet created with the IFTTT platform, The Resistance Roomba reacts to Donald Trump’s twitter feed. Each time Trump tweets, the Roomba begins a cleaning cycle and sends him a thank you tweet. The more the US President tweets the cleaner the floors become. With the passing of the recent impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives and the upcoming election, I expect the floors will be cleaner than ever. The Roomba, lovingly named Rupert Murdock, is gilded in faux gold leaf giving it a kitsch aesthetic worthy of Trump Tower. This project seeks to subvert the power of the rich via the connectivity of the internet and exploring how we as artists can combine these interconnected technologies to create a new medium for art. I cannot help but be satisfied knowing a man that has never cleaned a floor in his life unknowingly cleans mine multiple times in a day.