(Back to) the Robots

When Sónar began its journey in 1994, robotics had started gradually to filter through from scientific environments to artistic spaces, and artists including Bill Vorn and JL Demers in the international arena, and Marcel·lí Antúnez in Spain, came to SonarMàtica to display their projects. During that decade, the cutting edge of technology shifted from robotics to computer technology, from the prosthesis to the Internet, and the future soon came to be seen in terms of its relational context rather than in instrumental-mechanical terms. Moving into the twenty-first century, the socialisation of digital tools and the spread of creative co-operatives has made new generations of artists once again turn their attention towards robotics as the recurring backdrop for their investigations. The proliferation of art workshops, university departments and specialised festivals highlights today's democratisation of robotics.