The Robotic Chair / Max Dean / Raffaello D’Andrea / Matt DonovanInstallation
Some would say there is something almost human to The Robotic Chair: it collapes… and also reassembles itself. Placed in a square, empty space its first move is to suddenly fall apart. Then, gradually, the chair slowly moves and connects back together, its legs slowly finding the base. Piece by piece, the chair rebuilds itself. This newfound uprightness is momentary and the cycle repeats itself again and again. The Robotic Chair takes on the human ability of autodestruction and putting oneself back together. It becomes the metaphor of our own lives that crumble into pieces or of society that divides up, eliciting both empathy and hope. It is no longer just another chair. photo credit : nichola feldman-kiss About Max Dean Born in England, Max Dean lives and works in Toronto. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of British Columbia in 1971. A visual artist for more than 35 years, Max Dean is known above all for his interactive kinetic installations that explore the nature of trust and control. The creation of The Robotic Chair, an artistic and engineering achievement from over 20 years of research, is the continuation of his exploration of robotics and the arts. Max Dean has exhibited his art both nationally and abroad. Among his many expositions, highlights include his participation at the Venice Biennale in 1999 (dAPERTutto) and 2001 (dell’umanita); Voici, 100 ans d’art contemporain at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels; Fifth Element at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf; Iconoclash and Futur Cinema, ZKM at Karlsruhe, Germany. In 2005, Dean was awarded the prestigious Gershon Iskowitz Award for visual arts. About Raffaello D'Andrea Raffaello D'Andrea is a professor of engineering and an entrepreneur. His contributions range from the highly theoretical to the very applied, and incorporate mathematics, physics, computer science, technological innovations, and art. He was the faculty advisor and system architect of the Cornell Robot Soccer Team, four time world champions at the international RoboCup competition in Sweden, Australia, Italy, and Japan. He is also the system architect at Kiva Systems, a Boston area high-tech company he helped launch that has developed a revolutionary material handling system that utilizes hundreds of fully autonomous mobile robots. His work has been featured on Scientific American Frontiers and the Discovery Channel, at the Smithsonian, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Spoleto Festival. About Matt Donovan Matt Donovan is a graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design and is working as an artist, industrial designer, and conservator of kinetic artworks. Trained in art but with an innate understanding of engineering Donovan has built a career in which design and art are inseparable. Both in his personal and professional work Donovan skirts the line between art and engineering. Highlights include a series of works with Hallie Siegel called 'History Machines'; the mechanical design of Max Dean's and Raffaello D'Andrea's The Robotic Chair and The Table; the architectural design and management of Ydessa Hendeles' Teddy Bear Project; and the restoration of a large kinetic work by Paul McCarthy.
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The Robotic Chair is a nondescript school chair, millions of which probably exist throughout the world. However, it took more than 20 years of solid work and enlisted a team of engineering and artistic specialists to create.