Photo: Transketeers
Acting Like A Robot
Ulrike Quade Company collaborates with Utrecht University, the Utrecht School of the Arts and VU University Amsterdam on pioneering, multi-year research into the use of robotics and its impact on our society. Each year, the findings of this research are presented at the SPRING Festival in Utrecht.
Acting Like A Robot is an innovative project that joins forces between the Faculty of Theatre Science at Utrecht University, Robotics and AI at VU University Amsterdam and the lectorate Performative Making Processes at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Ulrike Quade Company has a unique role within this project.
While artists and theatre companies often serve as subjects of academic research, they rarely act as research partners themselves. By committing to this NWO-supported research project for four years, Ulrike Quade Company contributes significantly to the synergy between art and science.
‘Yesterday’s puppets are tomorrow’s robots.’
Theatre and robotics
Acting Like A Robot explores the mutual influences and possibilities between theatre and robotics. As robots become more prominent in our society and move into increasingly social environments, it appears that their social interactions need to be designed as much as their physical movements.
In the theatre world, there is a lot of expertise on interaction, body language, expression and intonation. What if this knowledge could be transferred to the programmers of tomorrow’s robots? Conversely, it is equally fascinating to explore what robots can offer the theatre sector. How do we tell the stories of the future? How do we translate the fusion of humans and technology to the theatre stage?
With Acting Like A Robot, we offer innovative insights and create connections between these two dynamic domains.
Partners
Projects
Okay, I’m Al-x is an installation where a 4.5-metre-high puppet and two industrial robot arms collectively represent a puppet from the future. Who plays whom?
Podcast
The podcast Acting Like A Robot is about the research of the same name within which the VU, UU, HKU and Ulrike Quade Company have been collaborating for four years. The research looks at how the fields of social robotics and theatre can reinforce each other. What can robots learn from theatre? What does a theatre with robots look like? How can robots and humans interact? Luc de Groen dives into the subject and discusses their expertise and perspective with one of the collaboration partners each over the course of four episodes.
Photo: Gabriel Casanova Miralda
‘By bringing together science, technology and art, we are creating a powerful space for innovation – one that challenges societal norms and opens new perspectives on the issues that define our world today.’
– Ulrike Quade
