RaymondLina Kovačević (HR)

Robot designer, 2004

Raymond is a robot designer. He is not aware of a surrounding world and yet he reacts at the external stimuli. Raymond produces. He relates to his environment expressing himself in basic graphic elements.

Raymond is a robot made up in legomindstorms technology and is supported by the LegoOS operative system. He is made up of basic constructional Lego Brick units. The robot is moving according to an algorithm which sets his basis directions and movement speeds. However, he is not human-controlled. His acts occur 'randomly'. His actions are unpredictable and he has life of his own. The robot moves and perceives environment with the aid of basic sensory devices (e.g. light and tactile sensors). Against the given input he generates a certain 'output' - graphic elements outlined at a computer screen or directly at a paper, with a marker.
Raymond is constructed with an intention of attempting to answer the questions such as what is a principle followed by a creator in a creation process, which is the criteria for discerning high quality output from the average one and how are functioning the impulses which carry out realization ('output') of the external stimulus ('input'). Raymond is an experiment but is also a critique of an environment in which 'image' always represents something else, of the overproduction of meaningless graphic decoration with no real content.

Lina Kovačević (HR)

Lina Kovačević works in new media, painting and objects. She graduated design studies in Zagreb and holds MA from Central St. Martins School of Art and Design. Her work has often been described as subversive, critical, and also humorous, with a poetic note both on individual and collective level. Along with internationally awarded design practice, she worked on web installations such as “Edit this banner”, robotic installations “Raymond robot designer” as well as installation "Set for on-line romantic dinner".

She has presented her work on national and international exhibitions, and as a veejay she performed on festivals such as Club Transmediale, Berlin; Contact Europe, Vienna; Steirische Herbst and ExitSpace, Graz; Music Biennale Zagreb, UrbanFestival Zagreb etc.