Signallers

Inspired by the experimental photography of Gjon Mili, the installation ‘Signallers’ was built to explore the recording of gestural interactions between a robotic armature and a human arm playing a series of games.

‘Traceries with lights attached to foils’ Photograph by Gjon Mili 1942. Mili records the gestural interaction of two fencers by capturing the movement of light sources attached to the ends of their foils. On close inspection, subtle moments of interaction can be found in these traces.

Signallers was initally an investigation of generating kinetic behaviours for use in a robotic armature through the use of light source tracking. It quickly became however a project more about how a kinetic object could use these behaviours and learn from their successes and failures. Inspired by the experimental light tracing Photography of Gjon Mili, Signallers was an environment made up of a darkened room with a robotic armature centered within it. The armature actuated a light source on the tip of an acrylic rod in 360 degrees.