“This is a nod to a world in which technology cannot be controlled and a robotic animal kingdom could come into being”, explains Tristan Kruithof when introducing Animaltroniek. Working on a transparently hybrid form of robotics, mechanics and electronics, he has created three autonomous creatures that offer a sort of 3D puzzle made of steel, wood, springs and rods. These three “cuddly” and communicative creatures approach, grasp, move around and interact with the public.  These objects obviously do not perfectly imitate reality and their interior mechanisms are clearly visible. At the scheduled time, the Animaltroniek creatures start to move. They are controlled remotely by Tristan Kruithof and start to interact with spectators, who often react emotionally, despite being fully aware that it is a machine.

“What is the tipping point in movement and imagery that tips a human brain over the edge?” Tristan Kruithof asks this question by challenging our capacity for self-instruction and the speed at which we accept the world as it is. Humour, surprise and artistic and sensory quality are obviously at the heart of this new installation suitable for a whole range of spectators, but the question of the progress of artificial intelligence is left hanging somewhat eerily in the air.