Following the installation of Fearful Symmetry we hosted an artist talk with Ruairi Glynn, enabling attendees to gain a better insight of the robot and its relationship to The Tanks.
Inspired by William Blake’s poem ‘Tiger’ Ruairi had a name in mind for the piece, a change to the normal practice of naming something within an hour or so before the press release is to be sent out. Having had the opportunity of creating an installation at the Tate for roughly a year, Ruairi set about bringing together a skilled team of engineers, architects and sound and light experts to make Fearful Symmetry, the World’s largest Delta Robot. Ruairi’s backdrop is in architecture, and fell into installation work following his time as an architect. Movement became his medium, as oppose to the means for movement it’s not necessarily about how movement is achieved but the process in itself.
Ruiari unveiled the mechanics behind his robot, which uses motion sensors much the same as your Xbox at home does, to bring an intuitiveness to the installation. Fearful Symmetry was designed as a companion for The Tanks, providing light and shadows to the space. With new visitors to the space in mind, who have never entered the Tanks before, Fearful Symmetry becomes a guiding beacon in the dark, deep tanks, taking on human like qualities and emotions as a companion.
Fearful Symmetry as a companion to the visitor stems from Ruairi’s research into simple objects once animated. An object can create specific narratives and emotions through the animation of geometric forms. Similarly to this idea of animation bringing objects to life, Ruairi is equally intrigued and captivated by puppeteers and how artists can give things life, context and emotion.
Following the success of this work, Ruairi is looking to take Fearful Symmetry to a completely different type of gallery space, exploring the robot in a new context surrounded by different artworks. It’s this complexity which challenges the robot as oppose to acting as a beacon and guide to the tanks, what does it evoke and deliver when in a traditional or complex setting.
Fearful Symmetry has certainly captured our imagination and we are further intrigued by the notion of art and science and how the two can come together in a unique exploration.
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