kkeenn rriinnaallddooAaron Siegel

DESMA 256

2-7-07

Ken Rinaldo posing next to Autopoiesis(photo source: http://accad.osu.edu/~rinaldo/)

abstract

Ken Rinaldo’s work focuses on the intersectionbetween natural and technological systems. Byintegrating organic and electromechanical ele-ments he aims to achieve a co-evolutionbetween living things and evolving technologies.

His art work is influenced by theories on livingsystems, artificial life, interspecies communica-tion, and “the underlying beauty and patterninherent in the nature and organization of matter,energy, and information.”

He has chosen interactive art as his mediumbecause it encourages the creation of active rela-tionships with a work of art.

“I believe it is imperative that technological sys-tems acknowledge and model the evolved wis-dom of natural living systems, so they will inher-ently fuse, to permit an emergent and interde-pendent earth.”- Ken Rinaldo

PRECEDENTS

CRAIG W. REYNOLDS

Craig Reynolds is a computer scientist that works in the field of simulation, specificallyfocused on modeling complex life-like behavior. Reynolds wrote a flocking simulation algo-rithm entitled Boids (seen to the right) that aimed at modeling the behavior of birds orschools of fish.

Reynolds more recent research involves the creation of a code library for the Playstation 3to create life-like crowd motion dynamics of up to 15,000 individuals running at 60 framesper second.

STELARC

Stelarc works with cybernetic robotics to achieve an interface between the biological andthe technological. His work has ranged from a third arm controlled by his leg, to a spider-like vehicular mechanism acutated by his muscle movement, to the growth and surgicalimplantation of a third ear to his forarm with a microphone embedded inside, so that whatever the third ear hears can be transmitted somewhere else.

JAMES GRIER MILLER

James Grier Miller authored the Living Systems Theory, which was intended to formalize theconcept of “life”. Miller specified a living system must contain 19 “critical subsystems”defined by their functionality.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_systems_theory)

CONTEMPORARIES

GARNET HERTZ

Garnet Hertz often works with organic materials (usually madagascan hissing cockroachesdue to their size) to create hybrid organic/technological robotics. The image to the right is acockroach with velcro on its back positioned above a track ball, all of which is mounted on amotorized wheeled chassis. When the robot reaches an object, a light is shined in the cock-roaches eyes causing it to turn away from that direction and head elsewhere.

HEATHER DEWEY-HAGBORG

Heather Dewey-Hagborg is a bay area artist that experiments with creating emergent sys-tems through robotic communication. The image to the right is the work “Bugs”, whichinvolves numerous independent robots that communicate with each other using visible opti-cal signals.

JOEL SLAYTON

Joel Slayton’s interests reside with system and information art works. The work to the rightwas a collaborative endeavor with his group C5 Corp, in which they created small remotecontrolled robots that would create emergent patterns in an effort to effect the relationshipwith the human audience.

ANDY GRACIE

Andy Gracie occasionally utilizes a variety of organic materials in his projects in an effort tocreate systems of interspecies ecological management. The work on the right involves aplant, a robot, and a fish. The fish has a view of a screen displaying the feed from a cam-era on the robot. The fish’s activity controls the robot and in effect tends to the plant.

Ken Rinaldo posing next to Autopoiesis(photo source: http://accad.osu.edu/~rinaldo/)

background

EDUCATION:- MFA - Information Arts/Conceptual Design

San Francisco State University [1996]- BA - Communications

University of California Santa Barbara [1984]- AS - Computer Science

Canada College [1982]

Rinaldo relates his interests to his families background:- French Grandfather = Jean Vincent Rinaldo (painter)- Scottish Grandfather = (electronics inventor)- Great, Great Uncle = Robert Fulton (inventor of the

steam engine)

Rinaldo had a strong interest in biology as a teenagerwhich stayed with him and has showed in his art work.

He pursued computer science as an occupation, andlater decided that he would pursue his artistic interests,perhaps not quite anticipating how his computer sciencebackground would apply.

He was finally introduced to the work of marcel duchampat age 27 and realized he could create workbased onconceptual basis rather than formal attributes.

cyber-squeeks - 1987 - 2001

The Cyber-Squeek’s series aims at spoofing the emergence ofmachine intelligence. Multiple sensors and switches that respond tohuman interaction causes them to create “emphatic squakingsounds”.

technology recapitulates phylogeny - 1992

Technology Recapitulates Phylogeny seeks to achieve a connec-tion between the human audience and a collective system of tube-fex worms, which interact with each other with a form of group con-sciousness, causing all of them to react to the touch of a singleworm. A sensor on the root turns on a light projecting the organiza-tional form of the tubefex worms on to the walls of the galleryspace.

Rinaldo relates the structure of the worms to both roots and circuitboards, as they all share a hierarchical tree structure whichdenotes the most efficient method of matter, energy, and informa-tion distribution.

delicate balance - 1993

Delicate Balance is a robotic system that allows a fish to determinethe direction of travel along a guide wire, essentially allowing it toexplore the area outside of the tank (by moving the tank).

Using a siamese fighting fish, the sensors around the bowl trackthe fish’s movement and depending on the location within the bowl,determine the direction of travel.

The siamese fighting fish (or Bettas) have exceptional eye sightallowing them to see outside the water and possible interact withthe environment.

The flock - 1994

The Flock is an interactive sound sculpture which behaves similarlyto the flocking behavior found in birds, fish, and bats. The Flockconsists of three 9.5 foot long robotic armsconstructed fromgrapevines. The arms have infrared sensors and microphonesallowing them to interact with the audience and each other in varry-ing emegent ways.

The arms also use telephone tones to communicate to each otherabout their position and the detection of a human being in the area,thus causing them to flock to the position where the interactee is

located. The interplay between the audio sensors causing the armto attract towards visitors and the infrared sensors causing the armto repel from them causes an interesting relationship, allowing theenvironment to affect the form, and the form to affect the environ-ment.

watchers - 1997

Watchers utilizes the cathode ray tube from television displays tocreate ambient light sculptures. The work aims to critique the rhyth-mic nature of television light and how it is utilized to seduce andcompel the viewer into a passive state of inaction.

The work is not concerned with imagery, but rather with how quickcuts, rapid changes in contrast, and complementary colors seduceour vision.

mediated encounters - 1998

This work relies on the natural instinct of male siamese fighting fishto become aggressive in the presence of other males. Similar toDelicate Balance, the fish are in effect controlling the movement ofthe robots by their position within the bowl.

Two robotic arms are located in the space, each with two siamesefighting fish; one on each end. The fish seemingly arbitrarily move

about the space until they come into view with another male Bettafish, in which they choose to engage. The seperation of the bowlsprevents them from killing each other, but also creates an interest-ing interaction between the two organically controlled robotic enti-ties.

flickering signifiers - 2000

Flickering Signifiers acts quite similarly to Watchers, except it has adifferent aesthetic form in which the cathode ray tube is nowrevealed to the audience. This shift in revealing the underlyingprocess alludes to Rinaldo’s belief in revealing the mechanizationand underlying processes of every day machines.

Autopoiesis - 2000

Autopoiesis - 2000

Autopoiesis - 2000

Autopoiesis a system of artificial life robotscommissioned by the Kiasma Museum inHelsinki as part of the Alien IntelligenceExhibition curated by Erkki Huhtamo.

The fifteen independent robotic sculpturesinteract with each other and gallery visitorsthrough infrared signals and audible tones,similar to The Flock. The main difference isthe utilization of a computer network to aidcommunication between robots.

The system of robots continually evolvesand adjusts to the environment, includingcounterparts.

augmented fish reality - 2004

augmented fish reality - 2004

augmented fish reality - 2004

Augmented Fish Reality consists of five fish bowl mounted robotsthat are driven by the position of siamese fighting fish inside ofthem. The project is an experiment in interspecies and transpeciescommunications.

The Bettas are allowed to move the bowls around the space andinteract with each other. The robotsare designed to allow the fish to

get within a quarter inch of one another to facilitate visual commu-nication.

Tiny cameras located in the bowls capture video feeds which areprojected on to the gallery walls giving human viewers the fishesperspective.

solar powered hydroponic herb garden - 2005

The Solar Powered Hydroponic Herb Garden is an experiment increating a sustainable indoor growing environment without relianceon petrochemicals. The pumping mechanism uses solar power tocirculate fresh water through the downward maze of glass vases.

The garden acts a starter area for young plants that can later betransplanted outdoors.

autotelematic spider bots - 2006

Autotelematic Spider Bots consists of an area filled with 10 inde-pendent robotic spider-like entities which creative emergent behav-ior based on the self-modifying traits induced by the system inwhich they are in.

Although human participants can not enter the ring, spiders areable to detect their presense using an ultrasonic range fingerattached to the tip of their antennae allowing a detection distanceof 9 -12 feet.

The spiders constantly seek for human participants by waving theirantenna apendages around flailing the ultrasonic sensor, desper-ately looking for contact.

The spiders use bluetooth networks to communicate with eachother, and audible chirps in relation to peoples interactions to con-vey an emotional status to human participants.

The spider bots are able to find their “food source” by detecting a1hz infrared signal emitted underneath a docking station, whichthey can then walk up to and make contact with using theirmandible like appendages.

autotelematic spider bots - 2006

references

BOOKS:

- Jones, Amelia. A Companion to Contemporary Art Since 1945. May 15, 2006.- Corne, David W. and Bentley, Peter J. Creative Evolutionary Systems. Jan 15, 2001.- Ijspeert, Auke Jan and Masuzawa, Toshimitsu and Kusumoto, Shinji. Biologically Inspired Approaches to Advanced Technology.

Feb 27, 2006.

INTERVIEWS:

- We-Make-Money-Not-Art:http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/008826.php

- Ohio State University (video):http://www.osu.edu/features/2006/rinaldo/

- NYArts Magazine:http://nyartsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3058&Itemid=212

WEB SITES:

- Portfolio Site: http://www.kenrinaldo.com

- Academic Site:http://accad.osu.edu/~rinaldo/

- Ken Rinaldo’s list of people creating robotic/interactive art:http://www.ylem.org/artists/krinaldo/links/artistic.html