The close-up of a cat with yellow eyes and shaggy fur, games of circles that recall soap bubbles and light leaves as if they were falling: these are the watercolors of Russolino 2.0, the robot painter who is among the protagonists of the section dedicated to art in the context of the Maker Faire, the largest European exhibition of innovation organized by the Chamber of Commerce and which closes this evening in Rome.
The Russolino 2.0 robot at work while painting leaves (source: Officine Robotiche)
Born three years to combine art and innovation, Maker Art talks about the future of artistic expression and its transformations in the light of the influences of robotics and artificial intelligence. Between installations, paintings and music, you can feel first-hand how the interconnections between arts and technologies are increasing: robots and artificial intelligence are schooled by artists and artists learn about technologies. “Artists who work with technology are also innovators”, observes the curator of Maker Art, Valentino Catricalà. "An artist who works with technology - he continues - must work with engineers and technicians, must enter unconventional contexts of the contemporary art world to demonstrate that art is, yes, important for the world of art and for museums,but also because the artist can also be an engine of society ".
Russolino 2.0 is one of the concrete examples of the new approach that combines art and technology.
Developed by the Officine Robotiche association with maker Alessandro Giacomel, it is the most recent of a series of robot artists developed over the years and which include poets and designers.
It is a printer based on components available on the market, some of which are 3D printed, and its electronics are based on the freely accessible Arduino software.
The challenge, say the makers who developed it, is “to hit our sensitivity and our emotions to see if even a cold robot can be defined as an artist”.
