Wed Nov-02, 6pm.
EMPAC Theater.
Sponsor: Lee Harris Pomeroy ‘54,

 FEDERICO DIAZ:
“ROBOTIC FABRICATION IN ARCHITECTURE & THE ART OF SCULPTURE”_

Rensselaer School of Architecture continues its Fall 2022 Lecture Series on Wed November 2nd, 6:00 pm, at EMPAC with the lecture “Robotic Fabrication in Architecture and the Art of Sculpture” by Federico Diaz.

Federico Díaz is a visual artist of Czech-Argentinian descent who lives and works in Prague. Since the 1990s, he has used new media to reveal immaterial aspects of everyday reality of our natural environment which are elusive through primary human senses.

In 1999, he presented an autonomous anthropomorphic augmented structure, Mnemeg, that responded directly to the gallery audience. These experiments with smart algorithms laid the foundations for later, more complex works, namely Geometric Death Frequency-141 (2010) for MASS MoCA and Outside Itself (2011) for the Venice Biennale. Both were based on the principle of art being conceived with a pre-programmed formulation of parameters without the touch of the human hand. The resulting sculptures were independently created by robots using pre-determined materials. These robot-centric installations were one of the starting points of Díaz and Ledgard’s conversations about AI and, eventually, the BOAR robotic performance.

In 2013, Díaz started experiments with robotic algorithmic paintings based on the movement patterns of the audience. The resulting exhibition was shown at CAFA Museum Beijing. His long-term series of immersive robotic installations, BIG LIGHT, have been presented across Europe. The project explores themes of the relationship between nature, humankind and conscious machines. In 2020 and 2021, he finished two permanent public sculptures made using a technique of robotic fabrication with concrete.

Federico Díaz has exhibited at the Mori Art Museum Tokyo, CAFA Museum Beijing, Institute of Contemporary Arts London, ZKM Karlsruhe, Ars Electronica Linz, MassMoCA, Art Basel Miami Beach, the Florence Biennale and at the 53rd Venice Biennale.