Patch Bay — Translating Living Systems into Robotics and Music [Workshop]

Translating Living Systems into Robotics and Music Workshop led by Scott Kildall and Kal Spelletich How can biological signals be translated into robotic movement and synthesized sound? Artists Scott Kildall and Kal Spelletich will lead an ideas-based workshop introducing their respective practices with bio-art and performance. We both use “natural intelligence” to drive outputs. Kal specializes in making robotic sound machines from plants, and Scott creates ambient soundscapes from fungi, bacteria, mycelium and more. They are collaborating on this workshop, sharing more than 50 years of experience in experimental art and technology. Scott and Kal will show how they sense biological activity, harvest data, build and hack electronics, prototype ideas, and transform invisible signals into experiences we can hear, see, and feel. Participants will play with working examples of their projects and learn about the hardware, software, materials, and creative decisions they make. Rather than focusing on step-by-step technical instruction, the workshop invites participants to think creatively about sensing the living world and translating biological information into artistic forms, and how to begin experimenting with electronics and data in their own work. We will end the workshop with practical ideas for toolchains and development strategies tailored for each participant’s future engagement with bio-related data art.