Human-robot interaction: Floriade

The Ulrike Quade Company, a pioneer in interdisciplinary visual theater in Amsterdam for over twenty years, combines puppetry and technology on stage. Our mission is to blur the boundaries between technology, art and humanity. We do this by collaborating with professionals from the performing arts, creative industries and sciences.

In our Center Stage Robotics project, we explore how industrial robots can perform in a theatrical environment. From July 2023 to December 2024, we are diving into the world of industrial robots within theater and performance. Our sprints are essential here: intensive work sessions in which we explore specific topics and themes with a multidisciplinary team. These sessions provide new insights, prototypes and concepts for future theater and museum projects.

Sixth sprint: preparations for Floriade 2022

On Thursday, Feb. 10, the sixth sprint of the collaborative project between Bram Ellens and the Ulrike Quade Company for Floriade 2022 took place in Almere. The session began with an invitation to attendees to view the result of several weeks of work on the performance installation. This installation, intended for the entrance and exit of the Floriade, consists of the four-and-a-half-meter-high rod puppet Alex, animated by two black hydraulic robotic arms from KUKA. During this session, all five movement blocks of the puppet were shown to the audience for the first time.

First impressions and discussions

After the presentation, first impressions were shared in a roundtable discussion. Most attendees felt that, despite the doll’s size, there was an intimate atmosphere around it, similar to a child acknowledging your presence while playing. Another common thought was that the installation evoked a sacred atmosphere, as if higher beings were trying to communicate with the audience. It was debated whether this was due to the puppet trying to communicate itself, or whether the KUKA arms were using the puppet as a tool to communicate.

Based on these impressions, interesting questions emerged about the collaboration between puppetry and robotics. One important question was whether using robotic arms to animate a puppet causes the puppet to be perceived as alive by the audience, or whether it is the arms themselves that are perceived as alive.

CSR_Sprint 01 Alex Revisited_Picture_03-03-2023_02 (1)

Reading club: ‘Programming play: puppets, robots, and engineering’

The second part of the session was devoted to a reading club discussing the article “Programming play: puppets, robots, and engineering” by Elizabeth Jochum and Todd Murphey. This article explores how puppet play can be used to explore new ways of automated movement. Jochum suggests that techniques from puppetry can be useful for the production of automated movement, which often relies on ultra-realistic mechanical reproduction and can therefore provide an uncanny experience. In contrast, the indicative qualities of puppet movements help evoke binocular vision. This allows theater audiences to assign fictional life to characters or objects based on their behavior and the performance setting, which encourages spectators to project psychology and emotions onto human actors or inanimate objects.

Discussion and applications

The text provoked discussion about how these insights can be useful in other areas. The group discussed how technical problems can also be problems of puppetry and how collaboration between technology and puppetry can break through the limitations in our thinking. Consideration was given to how this collaboration can open up new possibilities for automated movement and artistic expression.

Conclusion

This sixth sprint highlighted the potential of combining puppetry and robotics to explore new forms of artistic expression. The session offered insights into how large installations like Floriade’s can create intimate and meaningful interactions with audiences. The reading club and subsequent discussions highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration to push the boundaries of both technology and art. The findings of this sprint will contribute to the further development of the project and future performances.

Photo: Jtravel

Human-robot interaction: Floriade

Sixth sprint: preparations for Floriade 2022

First impressions and discussions

Reading club: ‘Programming play: puppets, robots, and engineering’

Discussion and applications

Conclusion

Read more

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UNBORN – Interview with Ulrike Quade

Here are the first residents of Center Stage Robotics

Photo: Kiriko Mechanicus

‘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

Ulrike Quade Company

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