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 #17 and #18 – Sticks and string

Two units with a slightly different design.

Figure #17 and #18 consists of a drive unit suspended from above by clamping onto a truss rig as typically found in performing arts venues. It consists of a chassis laser cut from MDF and reinforced by 3D printed supports holding three smart servos,1 each driving a spool reeling a thin fishing line in and out. The MDF structure to which the three servos are attached is one meter long, providing some distance between each fishing line. The mount for the three servos is attatched to a mechanism holding another servo that rotates the entire support horizontally using a timing belt. This, in turn, is attached to a truss clamp that fits onto a typical 50mm truss pipe commonly used in stage arts.

A structure consisting of two 16 mm POM plastic rods joined using a 3D printed rotational joint is suspended from the three fishing lines. The end of one of the rods has a flat attachment with an angular fin-like shape, while the other rod has an appendage that is flat but with an outline made up of rounded shapes.

As the three servos shorten or extend the fishing lines, the rod will bend at the joint. For example, if the centre fishing line is longer than the ones on either end, the joint joining the two rods will be lower than the appendages giving a V shape. The suspended structure can rotate in space using the rotational mount attached to the truss rig overhead.

The smart servos used to manipulate the suspended structure are so described since they have a closed-loop motion controller built-in. This allows for precise and repeatable positioning of the suspended structure by transmitting commands to them using a standard serial communication transport layer.

Impetus

Figures #17 and #18, like the other figures in this project, seek to kindle the experience of relation between audience and figure. Being as they are, they cannot avoid investigating the limits of how such experiences can occur. Like figure #15 and #16, they have ambivalent ontological status ingrained in their being. Their motion is given to them by an external force in the form of the drive unit suspended above. The connection between what I interpret as their bodies and what breathes life, if life is motion, into them is only the minuscule, translucent fishing line. This gives the impression that they are floating and moving in space, a behaviour that is experientially foreign to anything an audience member have likely experienced. They are very different entities in appearance and behaviour from the audience they seek to engage with. This begs how(and if) they can transcend these differences and generate relational experiences. To me, they do succeed in doing so, and I have the impression that I have two main reactions when encountering figures #17 and #18 that allows this. Firstly, the foreignness of their presence and motions seems to entice rather than alienate me. That they are seemingly floating in the air creates uncanniness that draws my interest. The alienation of uncanniness compels me to try to connect with the figures and attempt to understand. Secondly, the pacing and qualities of motion and the familiarity of the pivot joint triggers recognition overcoming its alien appearance.

Tip

Tip

Figure #17 and #18 – Sticks and string

Impetus