MR-808, a mechanical robotic installation by Moritz Simon Geist, uses programmed robotic structures to create sound. It is a replica of the famous 1980s electronic drum machine TR-808 and the first robotic installation that transfers and presents the electronic sound of this most influential electronic drum computer. By using robots to create sound, the artist operates the installation in his live performance so as to highlight the origin of sounds in a way no conventional media would be able to. This is done via physical movements of the drum robot parts, and lights that synchronize with the sound. Thus, the installation introduces a physical error into the music: a drum beaten by a mechanical robot arm can never be as predictable as a computer-generated sound.
MR-808Moritz Simon Geist (DE)
performance and interactive sound installation
Moritz Simon Geist (DE)
Moritz Simon Geist is a performer, musicologist, and robotics engineer. He began his artistic practice because he wanted to invent the future of electronic music – with robots! His projects range from robotic music performances to robotic sound installations. Over the past several years, his robotic instruments and performances have been shown at numerous European festivals and exhibitions, earning him numerous international awards. From 2015 to 2020, Geist lectured on the progression of technology and society at the Clive Davies Institute of the New York University in Berlin. He has a background in both classical music and robotics engineering, with an expertise in prototyping technologies and 3D printing. Geist lives and works in Dresden, Germany, where his workshop-studio is located.
