Examples for applied robotic artworks: exoskeleton 1998 a six-legged walking machine idea, performer, courtesy stelarc development, construction,
electronics and software f18institute stefan doepner gwendolin taube lars vaupel jan cummerow tom diekmann a coproduction of f18 with
kampnagel hamburg/ger sponsored by smc europe motion prosthesis 2000 a computer-controlled exoskeleton for the upper body
idea, performer, stelarc development, construction,electronics and software f18institute stefan doepner gwendolin taube lars vaupel jan cummerow tom diekmann ikit 2000 an interactive robotic-installation with three autonomous robotic platforms, one server-station and an 512-bulb display
f18institute at Park im Gruene/GDI, Zürich produced by Migros Kulturprozent idea, concept, development, construction, electronics, software
f18institute lars vaupel gwendolin taube stefan doepner jan cummerow tom diekmann. ghost-keyboard 2001 an electro-magnetic driven keyboard, which simultaneously strikes the same letter of a text, which is created and screened at the same time. the text is a
real-time product of a high dynamic text-generator by david gabriel -the poetry machine development, construction, software&interface of the ghost-keyboard: f18institute stefan doepner lars vaupel gwendolin taube jancummerow

 

Short descreption of examplary projects:

DROP OUTS /1997 Kampnagel, Hamburg Within this work we focused on the subject of daily routine. Through a long neon-lighted corridor the visitor
entered a scenery which was acted by different machine-actors, automats and automised rooms.
Thematic rooms were for example the religions room, work, leissure time, climate, polnish imbiss-bar…. This
installation was controled via a central unit, wherfor each room was under camera surveilence. Though not all
rooms/machines were acting at the same time it was the visitors exercise to orientate themselves in this machineworld
to claim the whole work. The whole system was working basicly pre-defined, but the impulse for any action
was inicialised by us, concerning the habits of the visitors.
Caused by this system the visitor/spectator was not served with an event, he was more or less forced to adapt to
the rhythm of the installation for to take part and to investigate it.
IKIT /2000 GDI, Zürich/CH
Robotic installation in a park
One of the basic ideas of the project IKIT was to convert the iconographic and behaviour of computergames into
the realworld. This was based on the invitation of Migros Culturalpercet for the event “Playground03”, a venue
which dealed with the item of critical use in the subject of computer-games and virtual enviroments.
The installation consists out of three autonoumus robot-platforms, a central control unit –the sse – combined with
a bench and an information screen and finally a low-resulution 512bulbs display.
Each robot had it’s own characteristical appeariance – the trackball, the cam-bot and the sound-bot - they were
acting autonoumesly in the park inbetween leisuretime enjoying park-visitors. The robot-artefacts implemented
the technicaly ability to find obstacles and humans and even were able to follow them, if necessary. Again the
machine was controlling the tempo of interaction. Impatient or to slow visitors never made it to communicate with
the bots, in opposite to some other who became proper profis, whom spend there leissuretime whith, by playing or
walking around with them.
Goldfish Disko /2001, CH, 2002/Hamburg
An aqurarium under video-surveince within two goldfishes.
The vido-picture is analysed by a certain software by f18.On behalf of the movements and localisation of the fishes
different midi-signals are produced, which trigger a max-based software instrument. This work bases on the idea
to create a music-instrument or control-tool, which independently of the user creates music or e.g. controls videosignals.
Whow and when it acts is controled by the fishes.
artgendaTV
audiovisual plattform of the Baltic biennial Artgenda 2002 in Hamburg by f18- Institute for Art,
Information and Technology
:::::::::::::::::::::content
The framework of such an international biennial offers the possibility to generate and experiment with
new formats.
artgendaTV is meant to serve as an artistic medium for this purpose, as a projection surface for
performers and videos, as well as an information and documentation channel.
We set the editorial frame and the design of artgendaTV and we generate open formats in which the
artists can integrate their own work. The content of these formats depends on our guests’ input with the
agreement of our editorial staff.
Some of the formats contain specified frames concerning the content and the aesthetics, e.g. by
determining the recording devices and the cut styles/editorial style.
Surveillance cameras play an important role. Even though surveillance cameras are immanent
everywhere (in public life), their special aesthetic value is usually reserved for those few people who
have access to a CCTV (Closed Circuit TV). We use the aesthetic value, look and content of CCTV and
transform it into ”Public CTV”.
The huge picture-flow generated by the automated surveillance system poses a problem as far as the
analysis and meaning of such systems is concerned. It requires particular care when it comes to
processing the information and managing the images. Therefore sensor controls have been developed as
a support, i.e. automated analysis has become a central focus point for research. Only automated
analysis systems can cope with such a big amount of audio-visual information.
For example, A:I:ZAPP, developed by Nicolas Anatol Baginsky, is an automated format- supervisor that
manages a picture-flow on the basis of fixed parameters of the respective interests.
A:I:ZAPP is a video-editing unit controlled by artificial intelligence. It has the ability to analyse, select
and edit up to ten video sources.
Other than that there will be further automated devices such as - e.g.- the Goldfish Disco by Gwendolin
Taube.
The moderators of the Goldfish Disco are two goldfish that can be located by a video-matrix. Different
places they can go to in the aquarium trigger a special MIDI signal1, i.e.: wherever the fish is swimming
at this particular point in time decides which movie will be playing next.
Besides that, special camera-systems, we developed ourselves will be used, such as e.g. radiocontrolled
autonomous robot cameras broadcasting special or unknown perspectives.
:::::::::::::::::::::display
Internet
artgendaTV will mainly be broadcasted as a webTV program. The technical infrastructure and streaming
services are provided by art-lab.com in Hamburg. The artgenda biennial itself is meant to build a
network of the Baltic social and cultural spaces. To serve this purpose we would like to draw upon the
diverse networks of the artists in their home regions. Co-operation with Baltic and foreign TV channels
and streaming partners such as TV5 in Riga and Channel29 in San Francisco are being negotiated. The
Hamburg TV channel Offener Kanal is willing to broadcast some sequences of the artgendaTV program.
Public space
3 ”public displays”, consisting of ready made garages where the back walls have been replace by a
pane, will be used as projection surfaces for the artgendaTV program. The re-projections are fed by a
broad-band connection and are situated in significant Hamburg places.
These artgendaTV ”broadcasting windows” offer the opportunity of reaching people who are not primarily interested in art
and thereby widening both impact and perspectives.
http://artgenda.tv
1 i.e. control skilful MIDI devices, e.g. a MIDI keyboard which keys correspond to a video source instead of a sound