Bridget sits down with Polish-born artist, Agnieszka Pilat, who is best known for her series of heroic portraits of technology and for paintings co-created with a quadruped robot, Spot. They discuss Agnieszka's experience going from Communist Poland to non-Communist Poland, the true realities of toilet paper shortages, why you would never make casual conversation in Poland, the spirit of benevolence in America, and her perception of the US vs. the reality when she came to live here. They also cover her work with robots as an artist, how it got started, why she likes working for machines, the parallels between AI and God, her desire to be Diego Rivera for machines, whether it's possible for robots to bring the soul that humans bring to art, the adaptability of humans, the agency they assign to robots, how there's no predicting what might happen in the future with these technological advancements, and why she thinks it’s our responsibility to engage with technology. Check out Agnieszka's art here: pilatart.com

Bridget Phetasy admires grit and authenticity. On Walk-Ins Welcome, she talks about the beautiful failures and frightening successes of her own life and the lives of her guests. She doesn’t conduct interviews—she has conversations. Conversations with real people about the real struggle and will remind you that we can laugh in pain and cry in joy but there’s no greater mistake than hiding from it all. By embracing it all, and celebrating it with the stories she’ll bring listeners, she believes that our lowest moments can be the building blocks for our eventual fulfillment.

Beyond Parody with Bridget Phetasy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe