Stelarc is one of the world’s most prolific creators of robotic art and you have the chance to meet him in person as we launch his new book: Robots and Art (co-edited by Damith Herath, Christian Kroos and Stelarc). Journey into a world of the strange, the beautiful and the daring with Stelarc and an expert panel of speakers as they discuss the significance of robots integrating into human society with PICA Acting Curator Andrew Varano.
The book launch will be introduced by David Hawkins, Head of the School of Design and Art, Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University.
Stelarc is a performance artist who explores alternate anatomical architectures. In 1996 he was made an Honorary Professor of Art and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh and in 2002 received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Monash University, Melbourne. In 2010 he was awarded the Ars Electronica Hybrid Arts Prize. In 2015 he received the Australia Council’s Emerging and Experimental Arts Award. In 2016 he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate from the Ionian Academy, Corfu. Stelarc is currently a Distinguished Research Fellow, School of Design and Art at Curtin University. His artwork is represented by the Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne.
Guy Ben-Ary is an artist and researcher at SymbioticA, Center for Excellence in Biological Arts at the University of Western Australia. Recognized internationally as a major artist and innovator working across science and media arts, Ben-Ary specializes in biotechnological artwork, which aims to challenge our shifting perceptions surrounding understandings of life, death, sentiency, and the materiality of the human body. His work has been shown across the globe at prestigious venues and festivals. Ben-Ary’s main research areas are cybernetics, robotics and biological alchemy.
Dr Eleanor Sandry is a lecturer and researcher in Internet Studies at Curtin University, and previously a Fellow of the Curtin Centre for Culture and Technology. Her research is focused on developing an ethical and pragmatic recognition of, and respect for, otherness and difference in communication. She writes about communication theory and practice, and draws upon varied examples – taken from science and technology, science fiction and creative arts – to illustrate the ideas in her work. She is particularly interested in exploring the communicative and collaborative possibilities of human interactions with humanoid and non-humanoid robots.
Dr Raymond Sheh is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computing, Curtin University and head of their Intelligent Robots Group. He specialises in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Security. Since 2003, he has worked on applications ranging from disaster response to surgical robotics. His group aims to develop robots that learn about their environments and tasks to not only perform better, but to also explain their actions and justify their decisions. He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from UNSW and degrees in Electronic and Communications Engineering, and Computer Science, from Curtin University.
A Perth Science Festival Event
