AcRobotics

A circus artist is forced to turn into an engineer when he meets his new acrobatic partner: a robot. Together they explore what happens when a robot physically relies on a human partner to execute its moves. In between mechanical design and performance, AcRobotics is a unique attempt at a robot-inclusive circus act.
The somewhat humanoid robotic figure, built out of car parts stuffed into a storefront mannequin, is the result of four months of intensive construction and research. It is a delicate experiment in mechanical design and electronics. Although Daniel Simu often builds props for his various circus performances, he has never before made them come alive like this. The show will trigger you to consider what it means to be a performer. Are tricks still tricks if they are performed by a computer-controlled mechanism?

This project was co-produced by V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media as part of the Summer and Winter Sessions residencies.

Daniel Simu is a circus artist and creative inventor, based in Rotterdam. By day you’ll find him juggling hoops, people or fire; by night, working with mechanics, code and electronics. Driven by an enthusiasm for surprising others, he explores the weird, the quirky, the wacky and the impossible through his artistic performances and installations. In this project he is collaborating with Basti Kuhz, a music passionate creative engineer. He stands for holistic electronic arts wherein each part contributes to the bigger picture. The Acrobot is currently performed by Mila Baumann, a designer and performer.

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