LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots)
LEMUR is a Brooklyn-based group of artists and technologists developing robotic musical instruments. Founded in 2000, LEMUR's philosophy is to build robotic instruments that "play themselves." In LEMUR designs, the robots are the instruments. In a site-specific interactive installation, the LEMUR orchestra makes its California debut with Guitarbot, TibetBot, ForestBot, and !rBot (pronounced "chick-r-bot"), and Modbots. Over 20 bots will be installed representing the largest LEMUR exhibition to date. Opening reception features a live performance by the LEMUR Orchestra and their creators Eric Singer, Jeff Feddersen, Milena Iossifova, Bil Bowen and Luke DuBois.
Opening reception features a live performance by the LEMUR Orchestra and their creators Eric Singer, Jeff Feddersen, Milena Iossifova, Bill Bowen and Luke DuBois.
LEMUR's growing ensemble consists of a wide variety of musical robots. GuitarBot, an electric stringed instrument, is comprised of four independently controllable stringed units which can pick and slide extremely rapidly. It is designed to extend not simply duplicate the capabilities of a human guitarist. !rBot (pronounced chick-r-bot) fuses traditional musical instruments with mechanical design. Inspired by the human mouth, its malleable cavity opens to expose and play a Peruvian goat-hoof rattle. TibetBot is a robotically controlled percussive instrument that creates atonal rhythms and tonal droning soundscapes. It is designed around three Tibetan singing bowls, which are struck by six robotic arms, producing a wide range of timbres. ForestBot displays a forest of 25 egg rattles sprouting from 10-foot rods that quiver and sway over onlookers. Rather than a single robot, it is a magnificently beautiful robotic installation. ModBots are miniature modular percussion robots in a variety of styles and functions, including singing bell bots and percussion "beater" bots.
LEMUR is supported in part by generous grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the Greenwall Foundation, the Jerome Foundation and Arts International. LEMUR is also sponsored by Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center.
Visit LEMUR's website at www.lemurbots.org
