Doing Nothing with AI 1.0, 2019

Doing Nothing with AI 1.0, 2019

Doing Nothing with AI 1.0, 2019 (detail)

Doing Nothing with AI 1.0 from emanuel gollob on Vimeo.

“Doing Nothing with AI 1.0” is a robotic art installation that uses generative robotic control, EEG measurements, and a GAN machine learning model to optimize its parametric choreography with the aim to make the spectator Do Nothing.

In times of constant busyness, technological overload, and the demand for permanent receptivity to information, doing nothing is not much accepted, often seen as provocative and associated with wasting time. People seem to always be in a rush, stuffing their calendars, seeking distraction and the subjective feeling of control, unable to tolerate even short periods of inactivity.

The multidisciplinary project “Doing Nothing with AI” intends to address the common misconception of confusing busyness with productivity or even effectiveness. Taking a closer look, there is not too much substance in checking our emails every ten minutes or doing some unfocused screen scrolling whenever there is a five minutes wait at the subway station. Enjoying a moment of inaction and introspection while letting our minds wander and daydream may be more productive than constantly keeping us busy with doing something.

Its adaptive aesthetic strategy demands an aesthetic in the flux. The resulting physical aesthetic experience is not just an optimized static aesthetic but rather an embedded aesthetic interaction. None of the interactants controls the other, but both entities are acting, perceiving, learning, and reacting in a non-hierarchical setting.

“Doing Nothing with AI 1.0” is animated by a Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) and a Kuka Robot KR6 R900. Using the real-time robot control system mxAutomation together with the Grasshopper plugin “Kuka|PRC “creates a space of 255 by the power of 256 possible choreographies.

Every time a spectator puts on the EEG device, the GAN generates a choreography based on collected data from previous spectators. After 30 seconds of EEG feedback, the current choreography gets evaluated. If it did bring the spectator closer to a state of doing nothing, the recent choreography gets saved and slightly mutated. If it didn’t get the spectator closer to doing nothing, the GAN generates the next choreography.

Further insights on the embedded interaction, artificial intelligence, robotic system and neuroaesthetic aspects is available here: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3430524.3440647

Doing Nothing with AI 2.0, 2019

Doing Nothing wit AI 2.0, 2019

Doing Nothing with AI 2.0 from emanuel gollob on Vimeo.

“Doing Nothing with AI 2.0” is a robotic art installation that uses generative robotic control, EEG measurements, and a GAN machine learning model to optimize its parametric movement, sound, and visuals with the aim to make the spectator Do Nothing.

Shaky Savine & Doing Nothing with AI, 2020

Shaky Savine & Doing Nothing with AI from emanuel gollob on Vimeo.

Armin Sanayei’s composition “Shaky Savine” was created to perform in dialogue with Emanuel Gollob’s neuroreactive installation “Doing Nothing With AI”. The violin solo-piece premiered by the gifted hands of Jacobo Hernández Enríquez as part of the Presenza Assente concert in REAKTOR’s main hall in July 2020.

An electroencephalography (EEG) cap streams the musician’s EEG waves. The resulting data forms the basis for the AI’s action. The modular composition “Shaky Savine” gives the interpreter the freedom to improvise based on their perception, while an electroencephalography (EEG) cap streams the musician’s brain activity. Based on this real-time feedback, artificial intelligence decides on the next movements of the installation. In this way, the work only emerges in the interplay of composition, algorithm, and improvisation. The music and the movement interactively create each other.

This musical dialogue between man and machine was recorded by the director and artist Anna Mitterer. “Shaky Savine & Doing Nothing with AI” was created in a co-production between the Ensemble Reconsil and REAKTOR.

Teaser: Doing Nothing with AI, 2018

Teaser: Doing Nothing with AI

Teaser: Doing Nothing with AI

Teaser: Doing Nothing with AI from emanuel gollob on Vimeo.

Robot, Doing Nothing, 2017

Robot, Doing Nothing, 2017

Robot, Doing Nothing II from emanuel gollob on Vimeo.

Robot, Doing Nothing accuses our modern society of being incessantly busy even beyond the confines of everyday life in the workplace. What’s now demanded of us—above all due to the proliferation of digital technologies—is our permanent presence, readiness to communicate and receptivity to information. In response, Emanuel Gollob has created a fictitious scenario: the results of studies demonstrate that the efficiency of our society is enhanced by doing nothing. Based on these studies, Austria’s Ministry of Commerce and Labor decides to remunerate members of the country’s workforce for their inactivity with a minimum wage. To encourage people to get started as professional idlers, roboticinstallations in public spaces are purveyed to the citizenry, whereby observing the changes the machinery’s form constantly undergoes is meant to facilitate the segue into a meditative state of indolence. In this relaxed frame of mind and body, it’s possible to focus on one’s self and open up to sweet stasis. 

Robot Doing Nothing was developed by Emanuel Gollob (emanuelgollob.com) together with Johannes Braumann (University of Art and Design Linz, Creative Robotics) and is based on literature that hypotheses improved ability of concentration, empathy and creativity when spending time actively doing nothing (Turkle, Sherry (2015): Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, Penguin Press). Gollob thinks on a post-industrial future when robots are already part of several aspects in our daily life. At this time the conscious activity of “Doing Nothing” is encouraged by meditative robotic installations in public space.

Doing Nothing Ritual, 2016

doing nothing ritual with boredom instruments from emanuel gollob on Vimeo.­

Due to the fact that the efficiency of our society will increase if our citizen spends time reflecting by doing nothing. The economy chamber of Austria rewards citizens with a minimum wage depending on how efficient each of them is doing nothing in public space.

* The efficiency is calculated by an algorithm integrated into a set of group boredom tools.
** The more precise-synchron doing nothing time you are able to achieve with your partners, the higher will be your minimum wage.
*** In order to emphasize the inclusion of all experience levels, partner combinations with amateurs are valued higher.

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www.emanuelgollob.com

All images copyright and courtesy of Emanuel Gollub

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