Dance Machines

British visual artist Peter William Holden combines art and music with science via robotic engineering.

For MERGE Festival 2014, tap dancing robots will bring a disused building to life with a symphony of rhythms activated by the public at the control panel.

Adventurous spectators can reinvent the piece and create their own composition using sixteen switches to trigger short sequences of sound and movement.

A second robotic installation is inspired by the The Industrial Revolution. The motion of the machine emphasises the relentless movement of progress as the machine moves to its predetermined program, ignorant of its environment and unwilling to stop if anything gets in its way.

Peter William Holden lives and works in Leipzig, Germany. Holden is an installation artist influenced by electronic subculture and street culture. His practice focuses on the transformation of objects, utilising his knowledge of applied mathematics. He makes kinetic sculptures and movies, which have been presented at numerous exhibitions and festivals around the world.