Robot Dreams

The Kunsthaus Graz and the Jean Tinguely Museum in Basel were presenting a symposium on the subject of robotics in the context of art. It explored the cultural history of the phenomenon, robots in everyday use and the importance of artificial intelligence for the development and self-image of society. Robot Dreams was a platform for diverse scientists, artists and cultural historians to pursue the social, cultural historical and artistic implications of the subject. The symposium was closely connected with the joint exhibition programme our two museums were planning 2010, which likewise focuses on the phenomenon of robots. www.museum-joanneum.at/en/kunsthaus/exhibitions/robot-dreams
 

In the development of robots and particularly intelligent swarm robots, the talk ranges from illuminating evolutionary theory to learning to understand biological behaviour. What does it mean if robots penetrate our thinking and action - do we need to "rethink work", for example, as Professor Albers of Karlsruhe University believes? And what does it mean for art? How does art react and what new thinking will involve if robotics and artificial intelligence give rise to new materials and media and new fields of universal interconnections? Will we still be able to regard the fine arts as a discrete realm?

The Symposium was held in conjunction with RoboCup 2009 the world championship and most important event for intelligent robots in Graz and actually shared a happening.

www.robocup2009.org

Programme

Friday, 3rd of July 2009

1. Panel 17:00 - 19:30 Uhr
german with english translation

Impuls:
Oswald Wiener. Intelligence and artificial -intelligence

topic: „From the artificial to the virtual being"
with
Oswald Wiener, linguist and author, Wien and Canada
Niki Passath, artist, Wien
Peter Pakesch, Kunsthaus Graz
Franz Wotawa, Institut für Softwaretechnologie TU, Graz
moderator: Wenzel Mraček

Saturday, 4th of July 2009

2. Panel: 10:00 - 12:00
english
Impulse:
Francois Roche, R&Sie(n), architects: 'Ecosophical apparatus & skizoïd machines'
Max Lungarella. interdisciplinary research at the AI lab in Zurich

topic: Art and science - a coalition or collision? What is the impact on scientific research by a public presentation?
with
Max Lungarella, AI Lab Zürich
Manuela Veloso, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, RoboCup
Francois Roche, R&Sie(n) architecture studio seit 1993 and Gastprofessur am Advanced Studio, GASPP Columbia University seit 2006
Karl Crailsheim, Institut für Zoologie, KF-Uni Graz
Andreas Broeckmann, ISEA2010 RUHR, Dortmund/Berlin
moderator: Mirjana Peitler

13:00 - 14:30 Lunch

3. Panel: 13:00 - 15:00
english
Impulse:
Jon Kessler: "Being part of a machine"
Kirsty Boyle: "theatrical aspects of robots - karakuri - robots inspired by a Japanese tradition"

topic: Cultural aspects and differences in the interaction of man and machine?
with
Roland Wetzel, Museum Jean Tinguely Basel
Thomas Baumann, artist, Wien
Jon Kessler, artist, School of the Arts, Columbia University
Kirsty Boyle, artist, Australien
Sibylle Hauert and Daniel Reichmuth, artists, CH
Reinhard Braun, curator, Graz
moderator: Katrin Bucher Trantow