Projects
2009
Shepparton Art Gallery & Eastbank
RADIOBOTS
“Was that thing from Predator?” Two Shepparton teenagers ambling away from Matthew Gardiner’s new show Radiobots would mistake the works central interactive console, with a series of sequential insignias, as based on the explosive device on the arm of the 1980s action film’s alien. Of the weird connections one can make while operating Radiobots, it may not be so incongruous to assume of the an otherworldly origin.” – Christian McCrea, Realtime
Matthew Gardiner is renowned for his work that fuses art with technology, working across such areas as robotics, origami, computer programming, interactivity technology and projection. In collaboration with composer David Young, Matthew developed a network of multiple Radiobots, small mechanical robotic hammers that can tap rhythms into buildings and other structures.
The Radiobots respond to rhythms played on a control panel-instrument, allowing musicians/percussionists to perform on the control-panel-instrument. Over a series of workshops and an exhibition at Shepperton Art Museum Matthew worked to reveal and expose the back-end process of constructing the Radiobot instruments. The exhibition offered a magnified viewpoint of the artistic, technical, musical and electronic assemblage process, and was an opportunity to meet the artists and observe the actual construction of the Radiobots instruments.
CREDITS
Artist – Matthew Gardiner
Technical – Designer Ray Gardiner
Composer – David Young
Percussionist – Eugene Ughetti
Community Facilitator – Patricia Sargant
Videography – Miles Bennett
Executive Producer – Thea Baumann
Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton
1-20 September
RADIOBOTS PERFORMANCE DEMONSTRATION
6pm 18 September
Live demonstration and acoustically amplified performance of the Radiobot instruments with David Young, Eugene Ughetti (Percussionist), and Matthew Gardiner
RADIOBOTS TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
3 & 4 September
Matthew talked about and demonstrated the basic technological applications and creative processes used to create and assemble the Radiobots. He worked closely with students using materials involved in basic robot design such as lego, radio transmitters, microphones and mallets to create the Radiobots. He also gave a detailed description of how the Radiobots function. This workshop was of interest to students studying Art, Sciences, Engineering and Music.
PLAYING RADIOBOTS AS PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
10 September
Eugene Ughetti & Matthew Gardiner
This workshop was suitable to percussionists and musicians. Eugene Ughetti conducted workshops on how to play the Radiobots as instruments.
ROBOPERCUSSION AND BUILDINGS
17 & 18 September
Eugene Ughetti, Matthew Gardiner
Eugene Ughetti worked with participants to discover the potential of the placement of Radiobot instruments in various urban structures and surfaces. The intention was to create a myriad of beats and sounds that will work towards a performance.
Images Matthew Gardiner