A theatrical exploration of humanity and technology
SPOT x KAFKA — EN — 30 minutes
Meet the virtuoso robot Spot, and join the conversation about the impact of advanced technology on the society of tomorrow.
Robots that are faster, smarter, stronger, and far more technologically advanced than humans; within ten years, we’ll see them more often in public spaces. How do we think about their arrival? With Spot x Kafka, the visual theater company Ulrike Quade Company and tech incubator YES!Delft explore the relationship between humans and robots.
Assistant to Humans
Spot is an online celebrity. Videos showcasing what this robot can do have been viewed millions of times on YouTube. Spot reaches up until your waist, and is equipped with hypersensitive sensors, (infrared) cameras, and four slender legs that allow it to move smoothly over the roughest terrain.
In ten years, we’ll consider it normal. These yellow robot dogs and their kind will increasingly appear in our streetscape, ready to assist humans. For as long as needed, in heatwaves and heavy rain.
Generally speaking, people find it easy to accept robots with a simple practical use, like delivering packages or mowing the lawn. It’s different when it comes to robots that surpass human knowledge and skills. People are—understandably—afraid of these kinds of robots. They wonder if TV series and movies about robots and surveillance techniques restricting our freedom will come true.
A Personal Encounter with Spot
How do you feel about this? Would you like to join the conversation? Or just listen? We invite you to visit the theater and get to know Spot. We will share our initial research findings and discuss the role of intelligent robots in the society of tomorrow. On October 5 at Theater de Verbeelding in Purmerend and on October 11 and 12 at Zaal 3 of the National Theatre in The Hague. The evening in Purmerend is part of the Festival of Imagined Science.
Collaboration with YES!Delft
Three years ago, the leading tech incubator YES!Delft purchased a Spot robot, which is now being mass-produced. They are testing the practical possibilities of this technical all-rounder and informing 21 municipalities in the metropolitan region The Hague–Rotterdam (MRDH) on how they can prepare citizens for their arrival.
To explore the associated ethical questions, they sought to collaborate with Ulrike Quade Company. In our performances and research projects, we have been working with advanced technologies and their potential societal impact for years.
Visit SPOT x KAFKA in Purmerend on October 5
Visit SPOT x KAFKA in The Hague on October 11 or 12
Credits
Project leader: Suze van Miltenburg
Direction: Suze van Miltenburg
Etude text: Tine Tabak
Etude composition: Bauke Moerman
Etude scenography: Hendrik Walther
Operator & programming SPOT: Maneesh Verma, Didier van Citters, Romir Kulshrestha
Production: Isha Plug
Technician: Jasper Kayser
Production by Ulrike Quade Company in collaboration with YES!Delft
Voorstellingsdata
5 October — De Verbeelding (Purmerend)
11 October — Zaal 3 (Den Haag)
12 October — Zaal 3 (Den Haag)
Background
Inspired by Kafka
Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is the inspiration for the long-term research project Spot x Kafka. The 1915 novel in which a man wakes up one morning as an insect points out that the absurdity of complex systems humans create is timeless. The story serves as a metaphor for Ulrike Quade Company and YES!Delft to question the relationship between humans and robots.
The Research Process
The first public sessions took place during SPRING Academy in Utrecht, where we introduced Spot on stage with elements such as text, music, and space. In collaboration with writer Tjeerd Posthuma, we engaged in dialogue with the audience and gained insight into the first impression this entity evokes.
At the Lindenberg in Nijmegen, we further explored the interaction between Spot and the audience. And at De Vlugt breeding ground in Amsterdam, we worked with Tine Tabak and Hendrik Walther on a conceptual framework for a possible contemporary version of Franz Kafka’s *The Metamorphosis*, with Spot in the lead role.