IEEE ICRA 2018 - Robots and Art Forum - Recent investigations into robotic art ...
Channel: Robotic Art
Date: 2021-07-06

[This is an invited talk presented at the Robots and Art Forum at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Brisbane, Australia on 24 May 2018 -  http://roboticart.org/icra2018/]

 Recent investigations into robotic art – agency, dramaturgy, musicianship by Wade Marynowsky

Robot Opera has established an initial conceptual framework for robotic performance leading to initial insights into robotic performance agency and dramaturgy. The research invites the audience to consider robots as performance agents within a performative and dramaturgical system. It was found, through audience focus groups and eight festival performances, that notions of performance agency could arise from algorithmic non-human performance agents. It was also found that non-human performers could engage audiences in dramaturgical contexts across a sustained performance work. A secondary finding was that audience members tended to anthropomorphise robot performers and projected social formations and hierarchies onto them. Audio signals, speech-like sonic structures and recognizable vocal gestures were seen to influence this strongly as did algorithmic movement interactions with audience members.

Wade Marynowsky is one of Australia’s leading creative robotics artist’s. Achieving significant critical praise and international recognition for his performances and exhibitions. Working interdisciplinary and collaboratively across the arts, science and technology sectors, he specialises in the emergent and experimental practice of robotic performance art. His main body of work explores the notion of robotic performance agency by challenging notions of classical spectatorship and performance. Through the use humour, camp and a host of unnerving thematics he addresses important issues relevant to our ever increasing technological society. He has designed numerous interactive robotic art works for exhibitions and performances that constantly defy traditional concepts of how robots should act and behave.