Meet a robot that draws and a choir that will play for a century: Watershed showcases the work of the latest Pervasive Media Studio Residencies on Thu 31 Jan 2013

Artist duo Juneau Projects will shortly complete their residency at Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio with a showcase revealing drawings created in collaboration with a robot. The pair worked with robotics specialist Ad Spiers to question how technology can inform artistic practice rather than simply serving as a tool in the process. The result is a bespoke drawing robot that affects aesthetic decisions in the creation of artworks.

Juneau Projects, say “Our residency at Watershed was an exceptional opportunity to explore how technology can inform what we make, rather than being just a tool employed in the process. Meeting robotics specialist Ad Spiers at the Studio has enabled us to take our investigation much further than we had imagined. In just three months we have created a bespoke robot that translates drawings given to it and renders them as hand-drawn images. The robot has been programmed to determine its own movement, resulting in a unique emergent drawing style. We are delighted with the results.”

Geiger-Müller Sound System is a new collaboration between writer, performer and composer Timothy X Atack and musician, sound artist and instrument designer MrUnderwood. The pair are working on a worldwide sound installation built to play for a century, as their first collaborative project. Made from the reeds of an ancient rotting harmonium, this series of home-made sound devices will be scattered across the globe with invitations to join a secret online community, which may one day meet to form an extraordinary choir. In an age where everything is based on fast results, Geiger-Muller Sound System hope the joy of this project will live far longer than the originators themselves. The GMSS001 sound machines will be showcased at Watershed on Thursday 31 Jan. Intrigued? Come along and find out more.

Tim Atack, from Geiger-Müller Sound System, says “We wanted to make something big, ambitious, possibly even a little bit dangerous during our residency at Watershed and decided to create an artwork that we'd scatter to the wind, that in its very design would outlive us both. The world is full of so many things – technologies, consumables, government policies – that are designed for immediate gratification. This work will be made to last for as long as possible... and the artists who thought it up will, hopefully, never know what happens to it in the end." 

The Pervasive Media Studio artist residencies programme offers artists the rare opportunity to experiment with new technologies within the arts, creating a safe space to take risks. Artists are able to develop new cultural experiences; pushing the boundary of current artistic, market and audience expectations. 

Studio Residencies began in October 2012 and will culminate in a celebratory event at Watershed on Thursday 31 Jan 2013 at 18:30

The event will feature video documentation of the projects, a conversation with the artists and a showcase of the extraordinary work they have developed. It will also include celebratory drinks and a chance to chat informally with the artists.

Tickets cost £4/£3 (drinks included)

To book, please visit: https://www.watershed.co.uk

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A selection of artworks collaboratively produced by Juneau Projects and the drawing robot will also feature in the artists’ forthcoming exhibition ‘Infocalypse Stack’ at Ceri Hand Gallery, London from 22 February to 23 March 2013.

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MrUnderwood is also participating in 'THE WIRE SALON: The Ways of the Hacker: Instrument Builders, Circuit Benders & Modular Synthesists' at Cafe OTO, London, on Thursday 7th February 2013, 8pm. £4 on the door.

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