SOMETIMES CRAZY IDEAS TURN INTO REALLY GREAT THINGS

VANGOBOT – Sometimes crazy ideas turn into really great things.

This is what happened when Doug Marx pitched an idea to Luke Kelly to build a robot named ‘Vangobot’, a robot capable of painting fine works of art.

In the fall of 2008, the plan began to take shape. Doug, a life-long multi-media artist, wanted to create a robot that could paint in a physical manner similar to his own. His hope was that this device would be able to mix traditional paints accurately and manipulate a variety of brushes skillfully on canvas.

During this time, Luke was working in the field of non-photorealistic graphics rendering. This artfully minded branch of computer science uses algorithms to analyze images and turn them into things that look like hand painted works of art.

In the beginning, there were many motivations behind this project, but overall, the finished product could be something completely new and fresh in the world of contemporary art.

It was a perfect match. Doug needed software to make his robot paint. And Luke wanted to take his artwork beyond the video screen.

Now, after nearly two years of extensive work, Doug and Luke are proudly presenting their collaborative effort, ‘Vangobot’. This will be the robot’s first ever public appearance.

At Gallery Nine in Lincoln for the entire month of August, visitors will see ‘Vangobot’ painting live daily from a variety of influences. The goal is to produce at least one significant painting per day. Paintings on display will include original works by both Doug and Luke, executed by ‘Vangobot’, “mash-up” paintings created entirely by automated processes from random pop culture references, as well as works made from images submitted by attendees of the event.

“Imagine ‘Vangobot’ online, browsing Google Images, and layering images of current events on top and in-between historical works of art.” – Luke Kelly

“The big misconception about this is that it’s a machine, it’s not. It’s an instrument… a synthesizer for visual artists. Imagine standing in front of a big screen with a hacked Wii remote and have the robot capture your stokes, change brushes, mix a new color all in real time or years after you’re gone.” – Doug Marx

For the complete article, including examples of the paintings, click here.