A poetic work intwining dance, science and mechanical engineering, 'Huang Yi & KUKA' sees the line between humanity and robotics blurred.
Running alongside the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) in 2016, the World Theatre Festival (WTF) is a celebration of contemporary performance. Acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer, dancer and inventor Huang Yi has longed for a robot since childhood. As an adult, KUKA is his mechanically engineered companion.
“I was born in a wealthy family,” says Huang. “When I was 10, my parents went bankrupt due to investment losses... As a child who was constantly moving from one tiny room to another and seeing my parents go through suicide attempts, I grew up knowing that I had to be a perfect child. I detached all my emotion – passion, anger, and sadness, to be that perfect child, and to be like a robot: obedient, friendly, outstanding, considerate, never rebellious, perhaps no personality.
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“I have something with robots since I was little. Is it because they represent a character that is loyal? Or is it because their destiny of being selfless? Thankfully, my parents let me choose to be a professional on stage, which became the best outlet for my compressed emotion. And I wanted to find a way to dance with a robot.”
“I did my research on the most advanced industrial robots, and KUKA stood out for stability, and the fluid design like the shape of human. In 2010, I called KUKA company in Taiwan. When I told them my idea, they said, 'according to the regulation, when the robot is moving, human beings cannot enter the area of its action. If you can find a way, I will lend you a KUKA'."
Together, Huang and KUKA's performance sees human qualities transferred into the robot. For every minute of KUKA's movement, Huang spend ten hours programming it.
Why have you always wanted a robot companion?
As a child, my favourite cartoon character was Doraemon, a Japanese animation character and a cat robot who is always there to solve problems for its owner. Apparently I’ve had something with robots since I was little — is it because they represent a character who is loyal? Or is it because of their destiny of being selfless? Dancing with KUKA is a process of beautifying the sorrow and sadness I experienced growing up. It is the expression of loneliness and self-doubt... but also self-realisation and self-comfort. Dancing face-to-face with a robot is like looking at my own face in the mirror…I think I have found the key to spin human emotions into robots.
How did you find a way to work with a KUKA?
KUKA is designed to handle repetitive factory tasks, like polishing iPhones. According to regulation, when the robot is moving, humans cannot enter the area of its action. When I approached the company to ask for a KUKA, they said they would but on the condition that I can find a way around their regulations. They told me if I could find a way, they would lend me a KUKA. After a long programming process, I demonstrated that I had in fact figured out how to enter the area of action safely. And they gave me a KUKA.
What does the art of dance mean to you?
My work in dance underscores the impermanence of beauty, while seeking to draw attention to the underprivileged side of the chasm. Helping to reverse the widening of that gap between rich and poor — that is the cause from which I draw my inspiration.
How did your family's financial disaster shape your childhood and your life, especially where you are today?
Our financial misfortune put a lot of stress on my parents. I did not want to impose any additional stress on them, so I detached myself from all my emotions – I wanted to be a perfect child, like a robot, with hardly any personality left at all. This is why I connected so well with the realm of robotics.
'Huang Yi & KUKU' perform Brisbane Powerhouse 18-20 February as part of WTF which runs 18-27 February.
