APPENDIX, 2011

by

BELOFF

The Appendix is a networked robotic tail designed for a human.
It investigates the relation between body, technology and human to his surrounding world, which is increasingly based on technological features and connections. Although the structure of the work is based on technology, it nevertheless does not answer to our typical expectations about technology’s purposeful functionality. Rather this work researches the potential of technology to become a part of human’s emotional and intuitive existence in a networked world.  
The Appendix focuses on the situation where a human body exists within a hybrid space combined of a technological network and a physical world. Parallel to its physical appearance the Appendix forms a kind of an invisible “tail” of various connections. It references the situation where these technologically sustained connections become part of us and define our contemporary identities. The work Appendix makes visible our dependency and connectedness to other people, things, nature and to various systems. It anticipates that many of the connections to various human and non-human entities will be increasingly re-constructed via technology in the future.
The movement of the tail is controlled by several connections. The current version of the tail has two real-world data connections:
- Connection to nature phenomenon; the tail is receiving real-time data of the wave height of the sea, which is seen on the tail as an upward movement.
- Connection to a system; the tail is following real-time data of a city public transport system and signals with a specific gesture the current/real-time direction of a tram.

Appendix ("Lisäke") on internettiin kytkettynä oleva robotti häntä, joka tutkii ihmisen ja teknologian suhdetta toisiinsa sekä ympäröivään maailmaan. Appendix ennakoi tulevaisuutta jossa yhä useammat suhteet ihmisiin, luontoon ja asioihin perustuvat teknologiaan. Teos tarkastelee teknologiaa osana ihmisen emotionaalista olemista verkottuneessa maailmassa. Appendix hännän reaali-aikaiset liikkeet perustuvat Itämeren aallon korkeuteen ja Helsingin raitiovaunu 3B;n suuntaan.