Sisyphean Cleaner (2025)

Solar panels usually have large, flat surfaces that are prone to accumulate dirt and grime. This dirt compromises the solar panels efficiency and therefore panels need to be cleaned periodically to maintain function. In large scale operations this is done with robots which in turn are also charged by solar energy.

The work is a technological interpretation of the Sisyphus myth. Just as Sisyphus was condemned to eternally roll a boulder up a hill only to watch it fall back down, this machine is locked in an endless cycle to maintain itself.

Self maintenance -> inevitable failure: It generates electricity solely to power the cleaning mechanism, and it cleans solely to generate electricity. It performs no external labour and provides no service to the outside world. It is meant to run for as long as the sun shines, or until the mechanism fails to clear the grime. This renders it unable to generate enough power to lift its own hands, which leads to its death.

Large 150w solar panel, windscreen wiper mechanisms, 3D printed hands.