Chico MacMurtrie–ARW
New Mexico, 1961.
Chico MacMurtrie and Amorphic Robot Works explore living systems through robotic sculpture, installation and performance.
Artwork in the collection
Border Crossers, 2017
About the artwork
Border Crossers brings together inflatable robotic sculptures that rise and extend across a threshold to create temporary arches. Their choreography proposes a symbolic connection between both sides of a border and questions militarised geopolitical divisions. Technology becomes a tool for opening dialogue and overcoming boundaries rather than reinforcing them. The project received support from the BEEP collection in 2017 and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was also developed through university workshops.
Artistic career: Chico MacMurtrie–ARW
Career and projects
Chico MacMurtrie founded Amorphic Robot Works in 1991 following his residency at San Francisco’s Exploratorium. The collective brings together artists, engineers and scientists investigating movement, intelligence and responsiveness in robotic sculptures. Since 2006, MacMurtrie has developed soft machines made from inflatable components articulated through pressure and vacuum. His career includes a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship and presentations at NAMOC, Hayward Gallery, the Reina Sofía Museum, MUAC, Pioneer Works and the Shanghai Biennale.