[ISEA98] Keith Piper – Robot Bodies

 

Artist Statement

 

In July 1997, a 251b, six-wheeled robot called Sojourner Truth trundled out onto the surface of Mars. The fact that an object at the extreme cutting edge of human technology was named after a black ex-slave is the starting point for Keith Piper’s exploration of the metaphorical relationship between the image of the robot and black people in science fiction and popular culture.

Commissioned by the Foundation for Art & Creative Technology (FACT). Produced with the financial support of the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England.

Keith Piper, England