Robots & Avatars Champion Noel Sharkey @ FACT for the Exhibition opening
13 years ago
We are very glad to announce that the Robots & Avatars Champion Noel Sharkey (Professor of AI and Robotics and Professor of Public Engagement at the University of Sheffield) will attend the Preview of the Robots and Avatars Exhibition at FACT next week!
Check here his provaction about Artifical Intelligence in 2010 for the Robots and Avatars Lunch debates.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence - Provocation
Professor Noel Sharkey, University of Sheffield
Part of the Robots and Avatars Programme.
At NESTA, June 28th 2010
Produced by body>data>space (2010)
Robots and Avatars exhibition needs human avatars for FACT opening!
13 years ago
Do you have what it takes to be our human test subject?
For the launch of Robots and Avatars, artist Martin Baraga Bricelj has set the public of Liverpool a challenge, to get involved in the UK premiere of his Public Avatar project. He needs two people, or as he calls them, "human test subjects" to take the form of the Public Avatar on 15 and 16 March. The "avatars" will be hooked up to GPS and AV visual systems and set loose around the city of Liverpool under the control of the Liverpool public who will be sending out simple instructions.
Bricelj describes the project as, "one that documents the relationship between virtual reality and our perceptions of self and society. Public Avatar will allow a global audience to explore real-world locations remotely and to interact with objects and people in those locations through real-time control of a human test subject. As digital and physical worlds collide, the boundaries between self and other, reality and simulation are constantly challenged and redefined." In a sense, Bricelj is aiming to redefine virtuality, and he adds the warning, "users may feel as if they are playing a computer game, although they should remember that the action is happening in real-time in the real world".
The project first premiered in Slovenia in 2009, where there were 100 visitors to public-avatar.com signed up ready for their 3 minutes of control. Actions were simple to start, such as turn left and right, but then got more creative and the avatars were soon getting people to peel their recently purchased bananas and making postcards! We can't wait to see what Liverpool has in store for the next Public Avatars.
Have an interest in the performative and available on 15 and 16 March then maybe you could be one of the next Public Avatars?
From FACT website

EXHIBITION: Robots & Avatars, our colleagues & playmates of the future
13 years ago

Michael Takeo Magruder
“I love the way Robots and Avatars is bringing together a beautiful diversity of people, exploring new paradigms, with unexpected and inspiring results. Exciting! Brave! Fun!”
Pear Urushima, Marketing Guru, Apple. Inc
The Robots and Avatars Exhibition will feature cutting edge art pieces, including three Commissions with the National Theatre “Sociable Asymmetry”, “The Blind Robot” and “Visions of our Communal Dreams”. It will present a mixture of robotics, online and wearable projects, immersive installations, performances and films. Attached to the Exhibition are high-quality debates and workshops, playfully didactic experiences that will enable visitors of all ages and levels to interact and engage with digital technologies. The Robots and Avatars Jury has selected a number of works to make up the 3 exhibitions in the project through a high level and largely spread out Call for Proposal process. The exhibition will present at FACT, Liverpool (UK) where it will premiere from 16 March to 27 May 2012; AltArt, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) in June/July 2012 and KIBLA (Slovenia) in 2013. Read more about the exhibition at FACT here. “The Robots & Avatars project has been one of the first to bring robotics and avatar professionals together and provide a creative atmosphere with artists and designers. This is such a wonderfully interdisciplinary grouping that I feel compelled and proud to support it.”Noel Sharkey, Professor of AI and Robotics at the University of Sheffield (Department of Computer Science) and EPSRC Senior Media Fellow (2004–2009).
The Robots and Avatars exhibition in the UK is co-produced in the UK by body>data>space (London) and FACT (Liverpool) in collaboration with the National Theatre (London). European co-organisers are KIBLA (Maribor/Slovenia) and AltArt (Cluj Napoca/Romania). With the support of the Culture programme of the European Union, this project was conceived by lead producer body>data>space in association with NESTA. Find the Selected Projects' list more here Visions of Our Communal Dreams (work-in-process) by Michael Takeo Magruder with Drew Baker, Erik Fleming and David Steele, 2012. Image C 2012 Takeo.Robots and Avatars Exhibition- Selected Projects
13 years ago
by leanne
in Robots and Avatars
SELECTED PROJECTS from the Call for Development Commissions and Exhibits
We are very glad to announce that the following works and projects have been chosen by the Jury to be part of Robots and Avatars. Please see full list of projects here
The Jury has selected a number of works to make up the 3 exhibitions in the Robots and Avatars project. Linked to the differences in each venue, both in space and technical terms, the Jury has decided to present an exhibition that will differ slightly for each venue.
A selection of works will present at FACT, Liverpool (UK) for showing from late March to the end of May 2012; a few to AltArt, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) for presentation in June/July 2012 and KIBLA (Slovenia – as part of Maribor 2012, European Capital of Culture) will take a number of works into their gallery in October 2012.
Robots and Avatars Exhibition – Pre-selected Projects
13 years ago
by leanne
in Robots and Avatars
We were very happy to have received just under 200 applications from 27 countries in total for the Robots and Avatars Call for Proposals and we are extremely pleased with the high level of innovation, creativity and interactivity of the projects submitted.
We can now announce the projects which have been pre-selected for consideration by the Robots and Avatars Jury. 29 projects have been pre-selected in the Call for Exhibits category and 10 projects from the Development Commissions. Please see the full list here
The final selected artists will be announced by Friday 21st October 2011 after selection by the Jury.
The Robots and Avatars Exhibition Jury is made up of the directors from the project co-organisers and partners plus an independent expert from outside Europe. This is a curational jury to create the exhibition from the call.
• Ghislaine Boddington, Creative Director, body>data>space, London, (UK)
• Dooeun Choi, Creative Director, Art Centre Nabi, Seoul, (KR) (online involvement)
• Peter Tomaž Dobrila - Advisor for Programme and International Relations, European Capital of
Culture Maribor 2012, (SI)
• Aleksandra Kostic, President, KIBLA, Maribor, (SI)
• David Sabel, Head of Digital Media, National Theatre, London, (UK)
• Mike Stubbs, Director, FACT (Foundation for Arts and Creative Technology), Liverpool, (UK)
• Istvan Szakats, Director, AltArt, Cluj-Napoca, (RO)
With
• Cameron Bobro - Composer, performer, organiser, KIBLA, (SLO)
Robots and Avatars will present two Development Commissions and additionally a minimum of six existing works as an Exhibition in 2012
Robots and Avatars- Call for Proposals
13 years ago
by ghislaine
in Robots and Avatars
Robots and Avatars - our colleagues and playmates of the future
We invite submissions to this Call for Development Commissions and Call for Exhibits
Robots and Avatars will present two Development Commissions and additionally a minimum of six existing works as an Exhibition in 2012. Lead producer and concept developer of this EU Culture project is body>data>space and the partner for the commissions is National Theatre in London. The exhibition will tour to partner FACT, Liverpool (UK), and to co-organisers AltArt, Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and KIBLA (Slovenia- as part of Maribor 2012, European Capital of Culture).
Robots and Avatars is an intercultural, intergenerational and interdisciplinary exploration of a near future world consisting of collaborations between robots, avatars, virtual worlds, telepresence and real time presence within creative places, work spaces, cultural environments, interactive entertainment and play space.
Artists/designers and others from any background can apply. We welcome applications from installations, performances, performance / installations, telepresence, sound art, software, kinetic art, architecture, AV based work, hung work, gaming, models, robotics, virtual worlds etc - your vision will lead us!
Stage 1 Deadline: Wednesday 7th September 2011 (12 BST)
Find out more and apply here

Robots and Avatars moves into Europe
14 years ago


Cynthia Breazeal: The rise of personal robots
This great TED talk Cynthia Breazeal expands further on one of the recurring themes of Robots and Avatars - the increase in personal and domestic use robots and the implications this may have for young people in particular. As a grad student, Breazeal wondered why we were using robots on Mars, but not in our living rooms. The key, she realized: training robots to interact with people. Now she dreams up and builds robots that teach, learn -- and play. Watch for amazing demo footage of a new interactive game for kids.
Cynthia Breazeal founded and directs the Personal Robots Group at MIT’s Media Lab. Her research focuses on developing the principles and technologies for building personal robots that are socially intelligent—that interact and communicate with people in human-centric terms, work with humans as peers, and learn from people as an apprentice.
She has developed some of the world’s most famous robotic creatures, ranging from small hexapod robots to highly expressive humanoids, including the social robot Kismet and the expressive robot Leonardo. Her recent work investigates the impact of social robots on helping people of all ages to achieve personal goals that contribute to quality of life, in domains such as physical performance, learning and education, health, and family communication and play over distance.
Health and Wellbeing Lunch Debate
14 years ago
by alex
in Lunch Debates
