The Legacy of PR in “Cant Help Myself”

I'm sure a lot of us have seen the tragic machine on social media, the exhausted robot arm that is endlessly scraping a pool of red blood-looking liquid back towards itself. Whether you created your own interpretation, which is an important purpose of an art piece, or took it as it was intended, the meaning is significant to many.

“Cant Help Myself,” is an art work created by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu in 2016 for the Guggenheim Museum in New York. This robot evokes different emotions in people and was even meant to be humanized. The artists’ purpose for creation was to demonstrate the violence of surveillance and border control, but they leave interpretation open to the audience. 

Users on TikTok, X and Instagram have taken it upon themselves to upload videos and photos of the art piece and describe it as a sad experience, some users even admitting they cried over this robot. People saw themselves in this endless struggle connecting it to mental health issues, societal expectations and being trapped in exhausting cycles. The robot's task of frantically cleaning up its mess over and over serves as a metaphor for self destruction and doing something over and over as you fall apart and destroy yourself. This piece really resonated with many because it mirrors human emotion as well as experiences. Some argue that it's “pointless” to cry or feel bad over this robot for the purpose of it being a robot and being programmed to clean this blood-looking liquid. 

User-generated content is important in PR to build authenticity and create a deeper loyalty and bond between the public and brand. In this case, UCG drove enormous engagement towards this art piece. Although it was created and displayed in 2016, people are still posting, talking and thinking about this. This ongoing conversation helps keep this artworks’ memory alive beyond the museum walls. Some fans of this art piece have used it as inspiration for their own artwork.

This engagement also increases the emotional impact of the piece after relating to others interpretations and reactions.
BIO: Ashley Rodriguez-Meany is a senior at CSUN majoring in Public Relations and an active member of PRSSA. She is a dedicated student with a strong passion for arts pr, including film, photography and museums, and is always eager to expand her knowledge and experience. Ashley is committed to promoting cultural and identity diversity within the field of PR.