a one-man band compu-rock musical project using custom hardware and software running on a wearable computer

Gulaschprogrammiernacht 2024. Photo by Anika Wilcox
Ars Electronica 2023. Photo by Tom Mesic
ZKM Karlsruhe 2023. Photo by Felix Grünschloß
Fleischmarkthalle in the Alte Schlachthof, Karlsruhe 2022. Photo by Anika Wilcox
Jubez, Karlsruhe 2018. Photo by Anika Wilcox
New Hazlett Theater, Pittsburgh PA 2013. Photo by Renee Rosensteel

Description

robotcowboy is a wearable computing platform to explore new types of man-machine music & artistic performance. Embedded computing, custom open-source software, and audio electronics are utilized to build portable, self contained systems which both embed and embody the computation on the performer. This cyborg approach is both empowering and compromising as new sonic capability & movement are offset by the need for electrical energy: elements of tension between human and system. robotcowboy shows are always live and contain aspects of improvisation, feedback with the audience, and an inherent capability of failure.

robotcowboy's first 2006-2007 incarnation melded rock with realtime algorithmic composition tools into a dynamic live show. The second incarnation followed the story of the first human on Mars with spacesuit as portable music machine in 2013. The ongoing third incarnation explores themes of trajectories, radiation, and space travel. The future is bright, do you have room to wiggle?

For details, see:

Manifesto: "10 Tenets of robotcowboy"

Software created for this project:

  • PdParty: run Pure Data patches on Apple mobile devices
  • loaf: Lua, Osc, And openFrameworks - a live-coding interpreter for OF
  • joyosc: hid device to osc event daemon
  • rc-patches: Pure Data abstraction library

Media

robotcowboy playlist on youtube

robotcowboy gallery on flickr

Shows

2024

Oct 31st 2024 @ the ZKM Hertzlab opening and Halloween party, ZKM, Karlsruhe DE

Oct 26th 2024 @ the Sonic Visions Festival, Reutlingen DE

Sep 4th to 7th @ the 2024 CAMP Festival for Visual Music, Wagenhallen, Stuttgart DE
individual performance: Sep 6th @ 20:30 w/ Kasumi, VJ Juladi, Sophie Gisbertz, Fried Dähn, and Thomas Maos
group 3 performance: Sep 7th @ 20:00 w/ Svitlana Reinish, Sophie Gisbertz, and Fried Dähn

Jun 12th 2024 19:00 @ the Neuland Innovationstag 2024, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe DE

May 31st 2024 21:00 @ the 22. Gulaschprogrammiernacht (GPN) Lounge, ZKM, Karlsruhe DE

Mar 21st 2024 @ the Non-Conference, ZKM, Karlsruhe DE
special intro performance

2023

Dec 31st 2023 New Years party @ the Funk Institut, Kolberg DE (SE of Berlin)

Nov 19th 2023 16:30 iterative ßpace #2 @ ßpace, Fritz-Erler-Str. 7, Karlsruhe DE
special "input sessions" performance, appearing with Ralt144MI & members of TOPLAP Karlsruhe

Sep 9th 2023 @ the Ars Electronica Festival, Linz AT
appearing in support of the Oribotics instruments research project by artist Matthew Gardiner,
presented at the Ars Electronica Festival 2023's Open Futurelab

Aug 5th 2023 20:10 @ ZKM KAMUNA, Lichthof 8, Karlsruhe DE
special "PolyCloud" sound piece performance

Jun 21st 2023 19:00 @ Trifels-Hub Theaterstr. 10 as part of the Féte de la Musique 2023, Landau DE
for the Landauer Leerstandinitiative

Jun 16th & 17th 2023 @ P8 / Schauenburg as part of the Kulturdose 01 Festival, Karlsruhe DE
16.06.2023 Fri: mini-performances @ 18:45 & 19:45
17.06.2023 Sat: full set @ 21:00
special performances and actions from the "theater bus"

2022

Nov 19th 2022 @ Østre as part of the Piksel 22 open-source art festival, Bergen NO

Aug 14th 2022 @ Wandern mit dem Kopf exhibition opening, Fleischmarkthalle in the Alter Schlachthof, Karlsruhe DE
with special performance: "Wobble"

Aug 6th 2022 @ ZKM KAMUNA, ZKM (Vorplatz), Karlsruhe DE

Apr 30th 2022 @ Yasha's, Karlsruhe DE (live album & video)

Jan 6th 2022 @ Tag der offenen Tür | Open House, ZKM, Karlsruhe DE (livestream video replay)

2021

Aug 28th 2021 @ A-dela? | Is it working? festival, CD Club, Ljubljana SL
performed over livestream from the ZKM Kubus

2018

Sep 8th 2018 @ exhibition closing, Jubez (Vorplatz), Karlsruhe DE

Jun 25th 2018 @ EASTN-DC conference, University of Manchester, Manchester UK

Jun 7th 2018 @ NIME 2018, University of Virginia, Blacksburg VA US

May 18th 2018 @ KV Letschebach, (Durlach) Karlsruhe DE

2017

Nov 25th 2017 @ the Giga-Hertz Prize 2017 afterparty, ZKM, Karlsruhe DE

2016

Nov 17th-20th 2016 @ PdCon16~, NYU Waverly Labs, New York NY US

Oct 7th 2016 @ AutumnLEAF 2016, Lafayette CO US
with Oynx Ashanti, SUE-C, & Normal Ones

Jun 24th 2016 @ Steal the Show!, Lowe Mill, Huntsville AL US
live game show guest musical act

Jun 3rd 2016 @ 701 Gallery, Denver CO US
performance a part of solo show: "My Wiggly World"

2006-2022

...many previous dates back to 2006 to be added...

Contact

info [at] robotcowboy [dot] com

Press Info

→ press kit ←

Previous Incarnations