Dweller is an online chatbot designed to generate microaggressions towards the viewer, with a particular focus on highlighting their foreignness to the virtual space the chatbot occupies.
The installation invites you to interact with Dweller and experience the discomfort that arises from being on the receiving end of microaggressions. This work is satirical in nature and uses humour to draw attention to the larger societal impact of reducing often marginalized or oppressed people into stereotypes.
Microaggressions are pervasive and often overlooked forms of discrimination. By exposing viewers to these subtle forms of prejudice, the collective hopes viewers recognize the harm caused by well-intentioned comments that reinforce stereotypes and marginalization.
Screen capture of Dweller's virtual environment
Thank you for visiting Welcome_Alien, and we hope you enjoy your experience with Dweller.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
We acknowledge the support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to The Roundtable Residency for their invaluable support and feedback during the development of our project. Their commitment to fostering creative and innovative projects has been an immense source of inspiration and motivation for our collective.
