DOHA: Brussels-based French artist Patrick Tresset, known for integrating robotics into his art, is presenting a thought-provoking installation called “Time to Read,” at the exhibition “Ai or Nay? Artificial vs. Intelligent” in Qatar.
The exhibition, taking place at the Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University until May 15, examines the relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity through the works of more than 20 regional and international artists.
“Time to Read” invites visitors to sit and read a book for 30 minutes while two robotic arms draw their likenesses. The resulting portraits become part of a global collection which now includes over 50,000 drawings created by similar installations worldwide.
“The idea came from a lunch I had with a gallery director in Paris,” Tresset told Arab News. “We were talking about reading, social media and how we don’t have the attention anymore. After the lunch, I thought, ‘I should do a piece about that’.”
Tresset’s career took a significant turn when he transitioned from traditional painting to robotics after experiencing a creative block.
“I used to be a painter, but at some point I lost my way. Everything I did didn’t feel right anymore,” he explained. “Because I had a computer when I was very young, I had the intuition I could do something with computational systems, so I switched to that.”
His work with robotics led to installations like “Time to Read” that incorporate elements of performance and audience interaction.
“I realized the theatrical potential, and that is why I started to exhibit those types of installations where the robots are actors. It is a performance. It is an art installation. It is a drawing,” he said.
Discussing the implications of technology in the creative field, Tresset said: “A pen is a technology, and so is a hammer — you can use them constructively or destructively.”
With “Time to Read,” he added, he wanted to show how technology can help us reflect, reconnect, and slow down.
