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 #11 and 12: Bones

Figure 11 and 12 were created for the composition Nether and developed over several months. Most of the figure's body is 3D printed in an off-white filament that gives the material a bonelike quality. There is a main trunk or body that is somewhat reminiscent of a human ribcage or pelvis to which two protrusions that can be construed as "legs" or "arms" are attached. Each of these legs consists of four sections. The backmost (attached to the trunk) having as part of its structure a wheel with GT2 teeth. In this section, two ball bearings and an eight-millimetre axle allow the leg to rotate 180 degrees. The axle is mounted at two points giving the mechanism a tight sideways tolerance.

The next part of the leg provides length and widens a bit to withstand lateral forces. It leads to the final section, which holds a stepper motor (later changed to a brushless motor for both figure #11 and#12) attached to the inside of the "leg." This motor has a small pulley attached to its shaft that pulls on a white GT2 timing belt that extends from the pulley around the wheel of the back part of the leg. Two adjustable belt fasteners hold it taught. It will pull itself along the belt when the motor rotates, causing the leg to bend at the axle mounted in the back part. The wheel at the back is 15 cm across and the pulley 1 cm giving a 15:1 reduction ratio helping to increase motor torque.

This figure is, for a large part, designed with the aid of generative design. The leg's front and midsections are "grown" using generative design, and the structures connecting the contact points, the trunk, and other leg sections created using topology optimization. It gives the figure quite an organic look, and since it is 3D printed using white filament, most people who have seen it describe it as bonelike.

At the end of each leg, there are two small wheels 3d printed in a flexible material1. These rotate around an eight-millimetre axle using one-way needle pin bearings, allowing the wheel to turn freely in only one direction.

Both figures are intended to lie on the ground. If both the "legs" bend at the same time towards the floor, the figure will lift itself into an upside-down V, and because the wheels can only rotate one way, it will also pull its "backside" forward. When it stretches out its legs again, the wheels will roll forward so that the figure will have moved forward 20 – 30 cm. If both "legs" bend the other way, the balance is such that the back part of the figure rises while the legs remain on the ground. If only one leg is bent upwards, it rises into the air, and lastly, if one leg is bent downward further than the other, the whole figure tilts to one side.

The figure can drag itself forward. It is also possible to turn the figure by using a more complex sequence of movements involving tilting it up on its side and rotating around the point in contact with the floor.

The electronics driving the figure are housed in an organically shaped blob of plastic dragged behind the figure from two wires connected to the motors.

Impetus

Figures #11 and #12 was an investigation into the creation of a mobile figure that incorporates shapes that emerge not only from the encounter between my conception and the affordances of the tools and materials used to create them, but rather finds materiality that is foreign to that encounter through outsourcing parts of the design process to genetic computer algorithms. By using generative design, figures #11 and #12 developed their limbs to achieve what I consider organic-looking structures. Outside of the mechanical advantage of generative design providing superior strength to weight ratio, I immediately recognize a bonelike quality in the figure's body.

Figures #11 and #12 continue the investigation of mobility as means for causing affect and potential for recognizing intent in the activity of the figures. Similar to figures #9 and #10, their motion, particularly forward, seems to be characterized by struggle. It is slow and laborious. To me, this triggers empathy towards the figures as I sympathize with the strenuous effort they make to propel themselves.

I find that figures #11 and #12 also have some commonalities to figure #7 and #8 – fingers in that I recognize their shape and materiality as being reminiscent of something specific(they make me think of the bone in a human pelvis or ribcage as it might be with no flesh). However, in this case, the object the figures are reminiscent of belongs as part of a larger structure familiar to me(the human body). If they are taken to be what I recognize they are somehow dislocated and in “the wrong place”. They must be incomplete since the rest of the human body is missing and they are fleshless. If they in fact were what I recognize in them, they would not be moving. The fact that they are moving and seem to be content and complete as they are creates an interesting discrepancy between what I am reminded of and what they are. Where figures #7 and #8 can on some level be taken to be like an animal, for example a dog, figures #11 and #12 can only ever be considered part of one, and their physical movements is contrary to such an interpretation.

Tip

Tip

Figure #11 and 12: Bones

Impetus