ArtBots exhibit brings robotic art to Philly

By Jen McShane
Collegian Staff
April 18, 2007

How many of us made robots out of boxes as children? We spent hours working on these robots, only to have them fall apart. No electricity or wires were used in them. However, by traveling to downtown Philadelphia, you can see the robots of your childhood dreams.

The Esther Klein Gallery on Market Street is hosting an ArtBots exhibit. ArtBots are considered contemporary art, with the contributions of technology to create real robots. The exhibit was put together by the Esther Klein Art Gallery, Douglas Irving Repetto, the University of Pennsylvania Engineering, BEST Robotics and the Business Council of Greater Philadelphia. While today we are surrounded by robots and robot-like machines, ArtBots are considered more whimsical and creative.

ArtBots is actually an international exhibit, and this will be the first time that it will appear in Philadelphia. Six artist teams from the international exhibit will be showing new or old pieces at the Esther Klein Gallery. These artists are Jason Van Anden, Ranjit Bhatnagar, Tali Hinkis and Kyle Lapidus, Ellen Lake and Chris Green, James Powderly and Fernando Orellana. Additionally, other local and national artists, as well as Philadelphia area school students, will display artwork.

The art at ArtBots is incredible and ingenious. Neil and Iona is a piece where the two robots spontaneously interact with each other and the audience. The Drawing Machine is a robot that draws pictures by itself. If you need some help planting spring flowers, then the Wildflower Meadow Glacier is a robot that can do just that. Wildflower is a robot that plants flowers and monitors the weather. Retrospectrum is a media robot that creates videos through receiving broadcasts and then re-broadcasting material. The String Ball Collector is a robot that moves in circular patterns, trying to capture balls of string.

All of these robots will appear at the Esther Klein Gallery along with other submissions and a special attraction named RAVI-bot, a robot created by mechanical engineering students at the University of Pennsylvania. It will perform every day in the lobby of the museum.

The Esther Klein Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is free to the public.

mcshanej2@lasalle.edu