Emotional Machines - Composing for Unstable Media.

Thorolf Thuestad

Emotional machines – composing for unstable media. Thorolf Thuestad In partial fulfilment of PhD in artistic research The Grieg Academy, Department of Music, Faculty of Art, Music, and Design, University of Bergen, 2021 The artistic research project Emotional machines - composing for unstable media explores how non-representational kinetic objects may afford affective and emotional responses, in particular experiences of kinship and relation between an audience and animated objects. Further possibilities for artistic expression are opened through composition and dramaturgy, in works where the animated objects perform alongside human performers and other media, such as light and sound. How may such animated non-representational physical objects be developed? How does animating the physical objects change the potential for experience of kinship and relation between audience and object? How does context modulate the potential for experience of kinship and relation between audience and animated physical object? How does the potential experience of kinship with the animated object differ for the creator of the object, and audience? These questions have been investigated through the creation of a set of animated kinetic figures. These figures have performed in a series of artistic presentations such as gallery exhibitions and stage presentations. The artistic research concludes with two complementary public artistic presentations taking place in bergen in June/July 2021; a time-based stage production at Cornerteatret and a gallery exhibition at Lydgalleriet. The presentations are considered connected and have the common title For one – for many – for all. This is an exposition of the research that presents the kinetic figures, the process of developing them, the questions they have contributed to explore, resulting artistic works (with particular emphasis on the final artistic presentations taking place in June/July 2021), the additional artists contributing to these public presentations, and a series of reflections resulting from the research. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emotional machines – composing for unstable media Thorolf Thuestad. Denne eksposisjonen presenteres som del av gjennomføring av doktorgrad i kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid ved Griegakademiet, Institutt for musikk, Fakultet for kunst, musikk og design, Universitetet i Bergen, 2021. Emotional machines - composing for unstable media utforsker hvordan ikke-representative kinetiske objekter kan skape affektive og emosjonelle responser hos mennesker. Spesifikt opplevelse av slektskap og relasjon mellom et publikum og animerte objekter. Det åpnes ytterligere muligheter for kunstneriske uttrykk gjennom komposisjon og dramaturgi i verk der de animerte objektene opptrer sammen med menneskelige utøvere og andre medier, som lys og lyd. Hvordan kan animerte ikke-representative fysiske objekter utvikles med dette startpunktet som inspirasjon? Hvordan endrer animasjon av de fysiske objektene potensialet for opplevelse av slektskap og relasjon mellom publikum og objekt? Hvordan modulerer konteksten de animerte objektene presenteres i potensialet for opplevelse av slektskap og relasjon? Hvordan er den potensielle opplevelsen av slektskap med det animerte objektet forskjellig for skaperen(e) av objektet, og publikum? I Emotional machines – composing for unstable media har spørsmålene har blitt undersøkt ved hjelp av en gruppe animerte kinetiske figurer. Disse figurene har opptrådt i en rekke kunstneriske sammenhenger hovedsakelig galleriutstillinger og scenepresentasjoner. Prosjektet ble avsluttet med to utfyllende offentlige kunstneriske presentasjoner som fant sted i Bergen i juni/juli 2021: En tidsbasert sceneproduksjon vist på Cornerteatret og en galleriutstilling vist på Lydgalleriet. Presentasjonene er tilknyttet hverandre og har fellestittelen For one – for many – for all. Denne eksposisjonen presenterer de kinetiske figurene, prosessen med å utvikle dem, spørsmålene de har bidratt til å utforske, resulterende kunstneriske verk (med særlig vekt på de endelige kunstneriske presentasjonene i juni/juli 2021), kunstnerne som bidro til disse offentlige presentasjonene samt en rekke refleksjonstekster drevet frem av arbeidet med prosjektet.

Figure #1 and 2: Rod and wire

Figures #1 and #2 are related with only slightly different designs. The design for both figures consists of two steel rods connected by a pivot joint, with the two rods suspended using thin strands of fishing line. The fishing line is connected to spools attached to small stepper motors mounted to a bracket suspended by thin copper wires from the ceiling. The motors raise and lower the steel rods. At the joint where the two rods meet, a thinner steel rod silver soldered in place at a 90-degree angle holds the foremost steel rod horizontally using muscle wire. When the wire contracts, the angle of the joint changes. At the end of the longer rod, a small servo with a short rod with small water filled plastic bags are attached These serve as counterweights to balance the steel rods. The servo adjusts the counterweight angle, and thus the orientation of the steel rods along the longitudinal axis.

The figures thus have the following movement capabilities: They can raise or lower themselves, tilt forward or backward by raising or lowering one of the wires from which it is suspended, and can change the angle of the joint joining the two rods by shortening the muscle wire actuator. Lastly, it can rotate along its longitudinal axis. Any combination of these movements is possible giving a total of four axes of movement

The figures are suspended using soft fishing line which means that any movement occurring through any of the mechanisms described above will cause the steel rods to swing, creating another layer of dynamism. Though the figures only have four actuators, the movement patterns are enhanced by the unpredictability and amplifying effect of the compliant wires. Any movement of any actuator creates excitation.

Lastly, the electrical wires that drive the various actuators are also used as a sculptural element and are suspended from the drive unit at the top, allowed to fall to the floor, and then back up again to the respective actuators (muscle wire and servo) they drive. The movement of the figure also ripples through these.

Impetus

The two figures designated Rod and wire were the first to be created as part of this project. Being created at the outset of the research project, I had not yet established the methods centred around computer-aided design that I would gradually develop as the project progressed.

I approached the building process in a very "hands-on" way, experimenting with simple 4 mm steel rods to see what types of motions I could find. I chose steel rods since I had had some prior experience working with similar material in creating the set of "Tilbakemeldingsmaskiner" that are part of a set of sculptures created by the collective of artists called "Kollisjonsindeks".1 The combination of weight and flexibility of the soft steel rods creates movements that are quite dynamic making it possible to generate varied motion with few and low powered actuators as long as awareness of the balance points is maintained.

From the outset of the PhD research project it was clear that is significant amount of technical skills, knowledge, competency and infrastructure would need to be developed. The plan was to be able to create figures that could enter into a greater ecology alongside other figures. This created the necessity for a unified wireless communication protocol that could be easily expanded as new figures came into being. Initial development of such a protocol required a significant time, and therefore with these first figures it was important to me to minimise technical complexity in other areas. Outside of the control systems, it is the use of muscle wire that proved to be the most demanding in the development of figures #1 and #2.

Muscle wire is seemingly magical. It is a shape memory alloy made from nickel and titanium and will contract 2 – 5 % when heated above a certain temperature by sending a current through it. It is finicky to work with but the motion it creates in Rod and wire seems to come from nowhere and therefore imparts a certain uncanniness. The range of motion is small and slow and completely silent. All motions are slow with a degree of randomness. The flimsiness of the rods creates a sense of fragility that for me awakens empathy. This impression of fragility is caused or facilitated by the low powered nature of the actuators (muscle wire, geared stepper motors and miniature RC servo). I later found, as more figures joined the family, that implementing more powerful motor systems such as those used in industrial automation is quite challenging. It was necessary to implement such system for the emergence of figures with greater movement dynamism to come. Still, the balancing act of creating movement of relatively large objects with primitive and low power actuators gives me the impression of fragility and consideration as figure #1 and #2 move.

I recognise that the movements emerge from the dialogue between materials in which I see possibilities, the technology available to me with my skill set and economic framework, and aesthetic preference.

Kollisjonsindeks' "Tilbakemeldingsmaskiner" by Roar Sletteland, Thorolf Thuestad and Øystein Nesheim.

(Exhibition at Small Projects gallery in Tromsø in 20162)

Tip

Tip

Figure #1 and 2: Rod and wire

Impetus