A Story in Four Acts:
Bot & Dolly’s “Box”

– 1 –
Transformation

It’s extremely easy to be mesmerized by the stunning visuals and elaborate choreography of Bot & Dolly’s aptly-named “Box.” The moniker evokes a simplistic object, one in which things may be placed and from which things may be taken. But these actions are highly constrained by the properties of each object in the process – “Box” artfully considers this notion and then obliterates it in a matter of minutes through their mastery of projection mapping.

At its core, this performance transforms our very ideas of a box from something constrained and humble to something infinite and all-encompassing. The ‘box’ in this instance hides boundless patterns and geometry, and is ever-changing in both makeup and content. The universes held inside are shifted, split, and reorganized, all while being affected by the placement and interaction of their pieces. Our very understanding of the box is toyed with as the camera playfully glides from one side to the next, changing both our perception and the outcome of each canvas.

Yet, as viewers, we’re still tethered throughout the performance by a single, simply dressed participant – a deft partner in this elaborate dance. As this person pushes and pulls the canvases, we’re brought back to the constraints of reality, of something human and finite. But this is shattered once again as we are urged to question whether they are operating on the piece, or if it is operating on them.

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– 2 –
Levitation

In every sense of the word, Bot & Dolly have elevated design and entertainment in creating this piece. Completed in 2013, “Box” was a clarion call towards greater interactivity between technology, art, and design in ways unseen prior. Not only a collaboration between video, sound, and performance, this piece married robotics and entertainment into a new standard; since purchasing Bot & Dolly, Google has leveraged the robotics for use in contemporary film, including 2013’s “Gravity.” Just as practical effects became (almost) overshadowed in use by computer-generated imagery (CGI), Google’s ‘Iris’ technology might hearken a return to more physical means of capture that is complimented by digital means, similar to what we see in “Box.” Echoing the canvases throughout the piece, this technology has completely transformed the industry in which lives.

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– 3 –
Intersection

The intersection of humanity and technology is extremely tense at times, especially regarding robotics. Often-heard threats of outsourcing and layoffs seem to follow this field closely, and can be paralyzing to the industry as a whole. More recent examples like Amazon’s automated warehouses spark debate over the validity of human staffing in the future, but this is a key opportunity for new industries and opportunities to open. Circling back to “Box,” this work did not create itself. Human minds had to conceptualize, construct, test, choreograph, and output every aspect of the piece. This technology might be more efficient and less error-prone, but it cannot exist within a vacuum. This notion is perfectly visualized throughout “Box,” as robot and human merge into a compelling visual odyssey.

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– 4 –
Teleportation

As the introduction to “Box” playfully notes,

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
–Arthur C. Clarke

Go see for yourself or click any image above to be transported by the magic Bot & Dolly have created in their masterpiece, “Box.”