Goldbergs Dream

In Goldbergs Traum – Extended Reality Konzert, presented by the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, we were invited to expand the performative vocabulary of the concert through the integration of two robotic entities: Boston Dynamics’ quadruped Spot and a KUKA Cybertech Nano robotic arm. Our aim was to explore how robotics could act as both narrative and instrumental agents within a live musical setting, blurring the boundary between performer, instrument, and machinic presence.

The concert began not with a traditional overture, but with a procession: Spot emerged as a protagonist, carrying a high-intensity LED light through the audience and onto the stage. As it illuminated the performance space, it approached the KUKA robotic arm, which lay dormant beside the piano. Upon arrival, the robotic arm was activated, its custom-designed end-effector, equipped with a second LED and a powerful solenoid, became animated, marking the symbolic start of the concert.

Throughout the performance, the KUKA robot was choreographed in real time to respond to musical cues and interpret the score in movement. Its most significant moment came during the ensemble’s rendition of In C by Terry Riley. At the conductor’s cue, the robot joined the orchestra—not merely as an aesthetic gesture but as a musical participant, playing a physical part on the piano alongside human musicians. In doing so, the robot did not merely accompany the music; it embodied a new form of machinic musicianship, one in dialogue with both score and stage.

Credits:
Johannes Braumann, Hanif Haghtalab

Full info and credits on the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra