​Translating Living Systems into Robotics and Music

​Workshop led by Scott Kildall and Kal Spelletich

​How can biological signals be translated into robotic movement and synthesized sound?

​Artists Scott Kildall and Kal Spelletich will lead an ideas-based workshop introducing their respective practices with bio-art and performance. We both use “natural intelligence” to drive outputs. Kal specializes in making robotic sound machines from plants, and Scott creates ambient soundscapes from fungi, bacteria, mycelium and more.

​They are collaborating on this workshop, sharing more than 50 years of experience in experimental art and technology.

​Scott and Kal will show how they sense biological activity, harvest data, build and hack electronics, prototype ideas, and transform invisible signals into experiences we can hear, see, and feel. Participants will play with working examples of their projects and learn about the hardware, software, materials, and creative decisions they make.

​Rather than focusing on step-by-step technical instruction, the workshop invites participants to think creatively about sensing the living world and translating biological information into artistic forms, and how to begin experimenting with electronics and data in their own work.

​We will end the workshop with practical ideas for toolchains and development strategies tailored for each participant’s future engagement with bio-related data art.

​No prerequisite skills are required, just an open mind and you may want to take some notes.

​About the Instructors:

​Scott Kildall creates artworks that transform hidden environmental data such as water quality, air quality, and plant signals into sculptural sound installations. Using custom electronics, he creates generative experiences with uncertain outcomes. His work has been exhibited internationally at the Venice Biennale, Transmediale, Vancouver Art Gallery, and New York Hall of Science. He has received fellowships and residencies from SETI Institute, Autodesk, Eyebeam, Recology San Francisco, and Joshua Tree National Park.

​For 45 years, Kal Spelletich has been exploring the interface of humans and robots, using technology to put people back in touch with real-life experiences. His work is interactive, requiring participants to enter or operate his pieces, often against their instincts of self-preservation. He probes the boundaries between fear, control and exhilaration by giving his audience the opportunity to operate and control fascinating and often dangerous machinery. Kal curates shows and has had hundreds of exhibits all over the world.

​This Workshop is part of our new Patch Bay series:

​A weekly series of workshops, demos, and talks for media artists creative technologists in the Bay Area

​​Wednesdays, 6 PM

​Patch Bay is a new weekly series for anyone in the Bay Area who wants to get hands-on with emerging technology, grapple with the big questions AI is raising in creative fields, and connect with the wider world of media arts, design, and engineering. It's a space to plug in for newcomers who want to get involved at Gray Area for the first time, and for longtime members of our community ready to share new, experimental work.

​We keep the format flexible from week to week, so there's room to experiment, talk, and learn. You might catch a workshop on building poetic tools for the web, a round of lightning talks on agentic AI experiments, an artist talk on immersive installations, or a live-coded audiovisual performance that turns code into sound and image in real time. No two weeks look the same.

​All Patch Bay events are sliding scale, NOTAFLOF.

​Got an idea for a future session?
Email learn@grayarea.org and tell us about it.
We especially want to hear from people who've been looking for a way to share their bold, critical, and creative work at Gray Area but weren't sure where to get started.

​Event Logistics:

​Workshops and talks are open to all ages. Children under the age of 16 should be supervised by a parent.

​Workshop attendees should bring their own laptops.

​Workshops will take place in the classroom and are not ADA accessible.

​Talks will be seated in the theater.

​View our FAQ page for more info, or contact us at info@grayarea.org with any accommodation requests.