Vessels
2010-present
Vessels is a robotic installation consisting of large groups of autonomous water vehicles, each equipped with a unique environmental sensor (temperature, sound, gas, water pH, etc.). The robotic agents interact with each other and their environment to form a simple ecosystem. Their emergent behaviour is unique to each installation environment and resembles the social interactions in a community of living creatures. The vulnerability of electronic devices in water mirrors the precarious intersections of our natural and technological world. Observers may empathize with the robots’ behaviours, ascribe intentions and motivations to their actions, and/or draw correlations between the group dynamic and unseen characteristics of their milieu.
Team: Sofian Audry (Montréal), Stephen Kelly (Hamilton), Samuel St-Aubin (Montréal)
Collaborator:Adam Kelly (halifax)
Exhibits
2018 La Gaîté Lyrique, Capitaine futur et la supernature, Paris, France
2018 Tolhuistuin Fundation, ROBOTANICA: The New Wilderness, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016 Festival Montréal en Lumière, Nuit Blanche, City Hall, Montreal, QC
2015 L’Ososphère, Jardin d’Hiver, Strasbourg, France
2015 Robotis Personae, Eastern Bloc, Montreal, QC
2010 Nocturne, Halifax, NS
Press Coverage and Citations
• Audry, Sofian. Behavior Morphologies of Machine Learning Agents in Media Artworks. Leonardo; 2021 54 (3): 269–273. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/leon\_a\_01854
• Baichtal, John. Waterborne Robots Display Emergent Behavior, Makezine.com, Oct. 1, 2013
• Debatty, Régine. Vessels, a fleet of robots with unpredictable behaviour. We Make Money Not Art, Sep. 2, 2013
• González, Semíramis. Vessels, a Research Residency at LABoral. Aug. 12, 2013
• Vessels, una instalación robótica interactiva desarrollada en Laboral, Lightecture, Sep. 1, 2013
Partners:
Center for Art Tapes
Perte de Signal (Vessels work log at Perte de Signal)
Funding:
Canada Council for the Arts
Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec
Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism
Halifax Region Municipality
Aquatic robot. Infrared proximity sensors protrude from each side. Locomotion is achieved with water pumps under the circuit board. LED colours reflect each individual's emergent behaviour in response to other robots and the environment.
Circuit board with microcontroller, environmental sensors, motor drivers, and RGB LEDs. Infrared diodes around the circumference allow robots to communicate with each other.
Public exhibition at L’Ososphère, Jardin d’Hiver, Strasbourg, France
Public exhibition at Festival Montréal en Lumière, Nuit Blanche, City Hall, Montreal, QC