The last find in the folder rescued during the move-out from the old Robohut in February 2005 is a postcard advertising RoboFest 7, i.e., seeking additional funding for the event held September 14-15, 1996 at the Dobie Mall.
The gentleman pushing the shopping cart is unknown to me but he was someone known to members, Tom Davidson and Sonia Santana. It would appear that he is ‘dumpster diving’ (a technique to rescue from the municipal waste stream useful electrical, electronic, and mechanical components to repurpose into robots or robotic art).
In his shopping cart of goodies can be seen the Babbling Head (eying the gentlemen pushing the cart), Tai Chi Charlie (articulated arm above and to the left of Babbling Head in the photo), and the torso of a member of the Megabot Army.
On the reverse side of the postcard a small inset photo shows the Babbling Head admiring Tai Chi Charlie. The remainder is a plea for funding.
This will be my penultimate post concerning the folder rescued during the move-out from the old Robohut in February 2005.
This RoboFest 7 bumper-sticker reveals something about a couple of exhibits from the September 14-15, 1996 show. Once again, Brooks Coleman’s Mechanical Pitbull can be seen front-and-center. Around that are sketches of what I first though were bombs being dropped. Actually, those are the remote-control hydrogen-filled Cybernetic Airships that thrilled attendees.
Here is another of the items that I found in an old file folder from The Robot Group, Inc.’s move from the old Robohut in February 2005.
This is a postcard-size flyer advertising RoboFest 6 that was held on April 1-2, 1995. The front side features a photo of Brooks Coleman’s Mechanical Pitbull. The opposite side is a list of sponsors.
That list of sponsors is a fair indication of how Austin has evolved. Aside from the City of Austin and the Austin Circle of Theatres (morphed into the Austin Creative Alliance as of 2011). Motorola became Freescale then NXP. Origin Systems was purchased from the Garriott brothers by Electronic Arts and dissolved. Jon Lebkowsky and Paco Nathan of still around but Fringeware is but a memory. Most of the other sponsors have vanished.
I very recently ran across the postcard below, a souvenir of a visit from Boston-based artist, Ross Miller.
The Robot Group, Inc. had recently vacated the old Robohut and was seeking a new home. In the interim, we were meeting at the Dobie Mall food court. Denise Scioli (who was teaching classes for the Austin Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria), talked Ross into coming over to speak at a gathering of members.
It was nearly a twenty year ago and the details are hazy. Ross was in town under the auspices of Randy Jewett’s Austin Green Art (now-defunct?) organization. He spoke briefly about his own work integrating art into public places then went around the group asking each attendee to explain their interests in art and robotics.
It has long been an inside joke among members that, “If it moves, it is a robot. If it doesn’t, it’s art.”
The DaVinci Awards are a way of giving recognition to the folks that help make the TRG such a success.
With Paul Atkinson doing the electronics & PCB work, Ed Gonzalez doing the layout and laser work, Rick Abbott doing the metal work, and Vern Graner doing the final assembly and project management, they delivered some pretty nice looking awards!
The awards have a built-in battery base with a microprocessor-controlled color-changing RGB LED. There are several modes of operation from static, blinking, and color shifting. The finished product was incredible … but what was even more amazing is the fact that they were kept entirely a secret until the day of the end-of-the-year banquet.
A small independent film company, The Management Productions, asked the Robot Group if we had a robotic head that they could use in their movie.
Babbling Head takes a road trip
The Babbling Head was working and available so we agreed. The film is called Armadillo News and follows the antics of a high school journalism class. Filming was done in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Lutheran church.
Krista Lundquist and her Dad, Eric Lundquist, set up Babbling Head
Armadillo News was shown at the Texas Union Theater on Saturday, May 22, 2004 and made its public debut in October 2004 at the Austin Film Festival.
In the film, Armadillo News, Edmond, the evil genius, is seen with Babbling Head in its role as NewsBotEric Lundquist stands by at filming of Armadillo NewsEric Lundquist plays the unheralded role as hero by making the cart easier to roll across the asphalt (with an ordinary pizza box)Producer-director, Chris Rose, looks on in awe as Eric Lundquist reprograms Babbling Head for its next lines.
[Text and images originally from http://wiki.therobotgroup.org/wiki/ArmadilloNews]
Eric demonstrated several robots for an enthusiastic audience of kids and parents. Babbling Head recited a short story and sand several songs. The Compubotics CR01 robot explored the floors and table tops. The P5 Glove, a virtual reality glove, was a huge hit!
Babbling Head recites a short story at Austin Public Library, July 2004Catherine Lundquist works with P5 Glove at Austin Public Library July 2004. Compubotics CR01 robot is in the foreground.Eric Lundquist aids in putting on the P5 Glove at the Austin Public Library, July 2004Eric Lundquist instructs in the use of the P5 Glove at the Austin Public Library, July 2004Wow! This is cool!!Kids of all ages were enthralled by the P5 Glove at Austin Public Library, July 2004Rule no. 1 : Never let the subject see that you are aiming the camera at them. Austin Public Library, July 2004.
Saturday July 3rd, 2004 with the Butthole Surfers’ INDUSTRIAL BAND THE JACK OFFICERS and Austin, TX-based The Robot Group and a bunch of other acts!!
At 357 Blue Star Arts Complex San Antone, TX.
yee hawww!!!!!
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE!!!
Saturday July 3rd, 2004
CAM Entertainment Presents : The 1st Annual CAM Carnival, The Official Contemporary Art Month Kickoff Party & Fundraiser. With the Jack Officers, (featuring Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers), Kal Spelletich of the SEEMEN Robotics Collective, Louis Katz and his Flaming Pipe Organ, The Robot Group, Boxcar Satan, DJ Deep Feel & Sonic Uke. PLUS Art Cars from around the state and classic one-dollar entry freak booths in a vintage carnival atmosphere. Full cash bar provided by South Presa’s newest hotspot, Tequila Island. Co-hosted by Blue Star Art Space. Produced by Robert Tatum, Director of CAM San Antonio.
Blue Star Silos, 401 Blue Star Street, SAT July 3, 8 PM – 1 AM; $10 Press Contact (General Info) Anjali Gupta 210.533.5762 Or go to http://www.camsanantonio.org
In-Kind Sponsors of the CAM Kickoff Carnival : The San Antonio Current, KRTU, Hill Country Springs, 1906 Gallery, Alamo Beer Company and Krazy Kat Music.
Schedule :
12:00 midnight The Jack Officers (NYC/Austin) Gibby Hayes is best known as the front man of the Butthole Surfers, but has performed under various names for years. Once dubbed the fount of “the most repulsive music in rock and roll history” by the Village Voice, the Butthole Surfers formed in 1981 in San Antonio. From such modest beginnings, the Surfers went on to become one of the most influential post-punk bands in the world. The Jack Officers side-project began in 1991. Like the Surfers, The Jack Officers combine Situationist-style performative elements and seriously strange music, accompanied by the film projections. Hayes now lives and works in New York City. Press Contact : Nathan Calhoun 512-472-5097
11:00 PM Boxcar Satan (San Antonio) Boxcar Satan is a San Antonio-based rock trio that deconstructs American roots music and pours a particularly venomous brand of self-loathing noise from the demon bottle. Depression-era Delta blues, post-industrial field hollers, free improv and a healthy dose of post-punk skronk are fused together like quadruplets joined at the head. Press Contact : Sanford Allen 210.736.5124
10:00 PM Kal Spelletich/The SEEMAN (San Francisco) Since their formation in 1988, the SEEMEN have staged more than 1000 performances throughout the US, Canada and Europe at arts institutions, clubs, warehouses and the occasional freeway underpass. In 1990, Kal Spelletich relocated from Austin to San Francisco, and from 1995-2004 he has performed with a rotating group of collaborators. The SEEMEN were the featured performers at Burning Man in Black Rock, Nevada. Their works have also been exhibited at the Jack Hanley Gallery and Deitch Gallery NYC. Spelletich’s robotic sculptures are included in the collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Getty. Press Contact : Kal Spelletich 415.821.7621
David Nunez takes on Kal Spelletich’s exoskeleton
Kal Spelletich and a volunteer play with fire
More playing with fire
9:00 PM Sonic Uke (Austin) Three singers; one little guitar. Austin based trio Sonic Uke may very well make the ukulele the sexiest instrument in history. Press Contact : Dirty Baby 512.385.4668
8:30 PM on Louis H. Katz (Corpus Christi) Spontaneous performances throughout the night. Louis Katz’s Flaming Pipe Organ is an amalgam of the artist’s ceramics studio practice and live performance – a complex kiln structure with multiple chimneys and a musical instrument. Katz received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and his MFA from Montana State University. He is an Associate Professor of Ceramics at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Texas. Press Contact : Bill Fitz Gibbons 210.723.3048
8 PM DJ Deepfeel (San Antonio) Spontaneous performances throughout the night. Deepfeel, aka Jaime Lopez, comes from the contemporary world of DJ Culture. Taking cues from the old school – Reggae Soundsystem, Northern Soul and early American House – Deepfeel brings back the importance of two things : the music; the vibe. Press Contact : Jaime Lopez 210.737.6350
Head in the Clouds sculpture
Ring of Fire
Silo wall decoration
8 PM The Robot Group (Austin) Spontaneous performances throughout the night. The Robot Group was founded in the Spring of 1989 by a small group of artists and engineers with a shared vision of fusing art and technology. The collaborative has attracted a diverse audience of tech and non-tech alike, and garnered international recognition. The Group’s activities have been covered in Newsweek, Mondo 2000, boing-boing, and FringeWare Review. They have also appeared on Good Morning America, Art Brigade, Kulture Report, and the Discovery Channel. The group will be moving about the crowd with their various creations all evening. Press Contact : David Nuñez 512.796.9545
