An idea I had back in 2019. This work-in-progress explores the creative co-existance of robots and humans. Playing on the idea of dance as a metaphor for discovery, negotiation, collaboration and social interactivity, D01NCE is a series of playful performances of human-robot interactions.

The backstory…

Humanity is on the cusp of a Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Evolving at an exponential rate, this post digital era is characterized by a fusion of technologies that blur the lines between the physical and digital. Artificial intelligence is part of our reality, disrupting the way we live, work and relate to one another. And as AI continues to rapidly grow in its scale, scope and complexity, it creates both intrigue and anxiety about how it will all unfold.

Fictional narratives right from ancient Greek myths about robots to pop culture sci-fi warn us about human-robot interactions going wrong, ending in chaos and destruction. Beyond the widespread and rational fear of robots taking over the workforce or the fiction-fed notion of rogue humanoids revolting against their masters, there is a much less obvious threat. Researchers and behavioral scientists suggest that this revolution has the potential to robotize humanity. As machines made to look and act like us integrate deeply into our daily lives, they have the potential to alter our innate human capacity for cooperation, altruism, love and friendship. Thinking and taking decisions on our behalf, they can also stunt our autonomy, our instinct and capacity to reason. 

Could we be hurtling towards a dehumanized existence? Could we not consider an alternative narrative where robots don’t just live non-destructively with us but also work in co-operation for the collective good? Could we coevolve and become a hybrid community that fosters the best capacities of human nature?

Through D01NCE I explore an optimistic future where robots and humans co-exist in synergy rather than competition. A future where robots are not passive, subservient objects but rather, acknowledged as active social subjects that share a common sense of destiny with humans.

Work in progress

Here’s a test shot of me doing an improvised movement routine with MiP, a mini robot.