Presented by Aphids in association with the Shepparton Art Gallery and Eastbank

WORLD PREMIERE

Radiobots

Artist Matthew Gardiner
Technical Designer Ray Gardiner
Composer David Young
Percussionist Eugene Ughetti
Community Facilitator Patricia Sargant

Matthew Gardiner is reknown 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.

Matthew Gardiner’s residency in Shepparton culminated in community workshops, exhibition, and performance demonstrations exploring the Radiobots as instruments.

RADIOBOTS EXHIBITION AT SHEPPARTON ART GALLERY

1-20 September 2009

Photo: Matthew Gardiner

A laboratory style exhibition revealing and exposing 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.

RADIOBOTS PERFORMANCE DEMONSTRATION

Date: 6pm Friday 8 September 2009

Live demonstration and acoustically amplified performance of the Radiobot instruments with David Young, Eugene Ughetti (Percussionist), and Matthew Gardiner

PUBLIC WORKSHOPS AT SHEPPARTON ART GALLERY

Playing robotics, robopercussion and robopercussive buildings with Matthew Gardiner (Artist) David Young (Composer), Eugene Ughetti (Percussionist).

* Radiobots Technology workshop

Thursday 3 & Friday 4 September 2009
Time: 10 - 11:15 am
Age: 7 years up
Cost: Free

Matthew demonstrated the basic technological applications and creative processes used to create and assemble the Radiobots. He worked closely with the students using materials involved in basic robot design such as lego, radio transmitters, microphones and mallets to create the Radiobots. Matthew also gave a detailed description of how the Radiobots function. This workshop was of interest to students studying Art, Sciences, Engineering and Music. Numbers are limited for these workshops.

* Playing Radiobots as Percussion Instruments

Thursday 10 September, 2009
Time: 10 - 11.15am
Age: From 7 years upwards
Cost: Free
Artists: Eugene Ughetti & Matthew Gardiner

Eugene Ughetti conducted workshops on how to play the Radiobots as instruments.

* Robopercussion and buildings

Thursday 17/ Friday 18 September 2009
Time: 10 - 11.15am
Age: From 7 years upwards
Cost: Free
Artists: 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 for eventual public performances.

VIDEO OVERVIEW OF RADIOBOTS WORKSHOPS IN SHEPPARTON:
A video overview edited by Tricia Sargant of Radiobots in Shepparton is visible here here.

Photo: Matthew Gardiner 'Eugene Ughetti performing the Radiobots control pads'