Gamelatron Project: Gamelan Elektronic
The Gamelatron is the world's first fully robotic gamelan orchestra. A gamelatron is a sound producing kinetic sculpture presented as site-specific installations, and stand alone art works.
The Gamelatron is modeled after traditional Balinese and Javanese gamelan orchestras. It features sets of classic instruments retrofitted with robotitc mallets on sculptural mounts. MIDI sequences control robotic striking mechanisms that produce intricately woven rhythmic sound.
The project was born out of an Artist in Residency at The League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR) in early 2008 by conceptual artist and composer Aaron Taylor Kuffner. Working directly with Eric Singer, the construction of the beta Gamelatron was fully realized in September 2008. The Beta Gamelatron was later deconstructed and used in the making of 2 modular touring pieces used in 2010 - 2011.
Over the last 4 years Kuffner has built 15 Gamelatrons of various sizes, instrumentations and intentions. The collection of Gamelatron works are shown in diverse settings around the globe ranging from museums to retreat centers, spas, private homes, unique public spaces, educational institutions, cultural centers and at exceptional events.
The Gamelatron Project has received grants and in-kind support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts (through the Clocktower Gallery), The Trust for Mutual Understanding, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, The Experimental Television Center with The New York Council for the Arts,
The League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, Ableton Gmhb, The CEC Artslink, Scope Arts, Artist Wanted, The New Orleans Airlift, TechShop San Francisco, The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and The US Artists International partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Gamelatron Project has shown throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia in the last 4 years.
