In the Research Lab with Pors & Rao
VIEW EVENT DETAILSArt over Lunch in January II [MEMBERS ONLY]
Meet the artists: Aparna Rao and Søren Pors create art that often employs the use of nuanced robotic motion and response. They develop animated objects that tremble, observe, get frightened, or peek – in short: that move and react in life-like ways. In order to realise these sentient qualities, Pors & Rao work with the best engineers to eliminate sound or other expressions of technology.
This is why they have been invited to conduct research on emotive animatronics at Wyss Zurich, the joint accelerator of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, to further develop PATHOS, a new, intuitive platform and tool kit for physical motion and behaviour. They then use these tools to develop artworks in their studio in Bangalore, India.
In this Art over Lunch we get to visit Aparna Rao at Wyss Zurich and take a look at their newest prototypes. The artist will tell us how they work on getting rid of any
presence of technology and how they involve engineers – from students to the most sophisticated researchers – into their practice.
Program
12:00 – Guided tour with Aparna Rao
12:45 – Lunch (included in ticket price)
13:15 – End of event
We will meet at the entrance at 11:50.
This event is for Asia Society Members only. How to become a member?
Full no-show charge unless registration is cancelled until 24 hours before the event.
About the Artist
Aparna Rao, of the Indo-Danish art duo Pors & Rao, is based in Bangalore, India. She and her collaborator Søren Pors work with objects and installations, often incorporating lifelike physical movement and responsive behaviours. After toiling with computer simulations, the internet, and gameplay in the early 2000s, they both abandoned the screen to work with objects that engage the body. Many of their works are conceived as a kind of being; with basic behaviour patterns such as
shyness, fatigue and dependence, highlighting involuntary aspects of human behaviour and relationships. Some works imply a kind of pre-conceptual way of perceiving the world, where the things around us are imbued with emotion and thought — as if everything was conscious. Picture: © Annick Ramp, Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG
About Art over Lunch
Art over Lunch is a monthly event series for members of Asia Society Switzerland. Each time, we visit an exhibition or a special part of a collection with artists, curators and experts for 45 minutes followed by a small lunch. The tours are designed to give members a different view on the vast troves at the museums in the city of Zurich and provide an opportunity to mingle and discuss.
Art over Lunch is made possible with the support of Bergos Berenberg.