From the poster
The Robots, Art, People and Performance Laboratory (RAPP Lab) is conceived as a living laboratory that functions as an experimental sandbox where roboticists and artists converge to explore the untapped possibilities of human-robot interaction through the lens of performance. Born from a spirit of curiosity, experimentation and play, this unique collaborative workshop space has evolved over the years with various public and private experimental performances and interactions.
Through this work, RAPP Lab actively engages with the spectrum of cultural robotics—exploring robots not only as maintainers and participants in human cultural practices but as potential creators of new cultural myths and forms. By integrating diverse performance traditions—from ancient myths to Indigenous choreography and contemporary physical theatre—the lab investigates how robots can evolve from technological instruments to active participants in cultural expression.
This approach positions our work within the broader cultural ecology of social robotics, where the integration of robots into performance spaces serves as both a mirror and a catalyst for understanding their wider societal impact. By embracing community-led, transdisciplinary research methods and democratic participation, RAPP Lab contributes to a developing political ecology of human-robot interaction—one that weaves together artistic, social, technical, and cultural threads to envision new myths and narratives that will shape the future of robotic performance and interaction..