Exercise: Precedent Research

For this exercise I would like everyone to look outside the existing course resources to find a project related to the course themes. I am particularly interested in robotic and kinetic art installations featuring long-term and generative performance.

Many art pieces falling under the rubric of ‘kinetic sculpture’ have featured a single movement or gesture added to a sculptural form. In contrast, purely digital art exists which is algorithmically generated and the gestures vary endlessly.

So a space of interest is one in which the machine has a definite physical form but which exhibits behaviors which vary in complex ways and perhaps evolve or adapt over time. This conveys an idea purely through movement but also through understanding a process.

Process

Please explore both online and library resources to find another project which can provide insight into generative robot performance. Please consider the following questions:

• What is the balance of expression between behavior and form?

• What feature of the work could we specifically evolve into a technique for autonomous kinetic sculpture?

• What details of the artwork or concept are not immediately apparent and how do they inform the work?

• Are there closely related works?

Deliverables

Please post a brief report or slides to the appropriate shared folder and be prepared to lead an in-class discussion. Please include the following:

• one-sentence synopsis of the result

• a brief analysis of the behavior

• links to additional sources, if online

• images or an an embedded video, if available