Created by Animaspace (Angelina Kozhevnikova), I/Another explores the potential of kinaesthetic collaboration between humans and robots. The installation invites participants to engage in non-verbal, spatial dialogues with a robotic sculpture named Another, prioritizing bodily presence in human-machine communication.

What if vulnerability, fragility, and unpredictability could foster more meaningful relationships between humans and machines? Another is not designed to mimic humans or animals. Its design philosophy rejects the trend of equipping machines with emotions, instead leaving emotional expression to humans. Participants connect with Another not through empathy or anthropomorphism, but through shared experiences of fragility, curiosity, and playfulness. 

Animaspace

Through its delicate 3D-printed phosphorescent parts, hand-stitched by Animaspace, and fluid, non-anthropomorphic movements, the project challenges conventional narratives about robotics, pushing us to reconsider not only what robots can do but what they could be. Drawing inspiration from Gordon Pask’s “maverick machines” and second-order cybernetics, conversation between I and Another is about a dynamic exchange that instigates change in both participants and the machine. Both human and machine co-create the interaction, reflecting the idea that systems evolve through mutual influence rather than linear control or comprehension. 

In contrast to today’s technology, which often fuels overthinking and polarizes our attention, I/Another brings the focus back to the body. It encourages participants to explore new ways of being and staying in a creative flow, drawing attention to the often-overlooked intelligence of the body, which is essential to our well-being. The installation emphasizes the joy of discovery, encouraging participants to explore evolving forms of communication between humans and robots. While Another was designed for an artistic context, its emphasis on fragility, adaptability, and bodily awareness could inform therapeutic applications in healthcare, particularly in somatic and movement-based treatments. 

Animaspace

3D printed phosphorescent parts were stitched together through hand embroidery by the artist. Motors are pushing the units in specific directions with threads and bobbins. The Kinect sensor has information about a skeleton of up to 5 people interacting with the installation. All these electronics and components are connected to a Grasshopper3d program, combining visual node-based programming and custom Python code.

Project Page | Animaspace

This project is led by Studio Animaspace (Angelina Kozhevnikova) and supported by Gemeente Rotterdam, Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries, and V2_Lab for the Unstable Media, with contributions from Marijke de Vos and Astrid Boons (collaborators on body and movement), Manuel Rojas (electrical engineering), and Katažyna Jankovska (curator).