Machine 1.0 (1996)

Machine 4.0. (1997)

Machine 5.0 (1999)

machine 6.0 (2000)

A Brief History

The various robots were designed and built for multiple functions. They were intended both for live performances—where their movements would respond to the audience—and as autonomous installations. In this way, the machines functioned primarily as a medium rather than an end in themselves. Together, the four robots form a series of artistic projects, integrating different video faces, soundscapes, and texts, created for a range of contexts, from gallery and museum exhibitions to concerts and performances.

The first and simplest robot was produced in 1995 (image A). Initially, it was presented as a moving video sculpture, resembling a bust or self-portrait of Kvam. A video of Kvam’s face was projected onto a cast of his own head, creating the illusion of a living, three-dimensional figure. This approach carried through to the later machines.

The first video, from 1995, showed Kvam stammering—unable to articulate a meaningful word. Over time, the robots was intended to "learn" to speak. In 1996, electronic musician and filmmaker Frode Oldereid joined the project. That same year, we presented the machine again—now with a new head and a new video—as part of a performance project at the Arvika Festival in Sweden.

Machine 4.0 (image B) introduced the use of political speeches, interwoven with sound and music. This work sampled major political speeches of the 20th century—from Stalin, Nixon, Hitler, Reagan, Mao, Churchill, and others—allowing the robots’s video face to articulate these shifting rhetorics in a continuous flow. Frode Oldereid produced the sound, marking the beginning of a collaboration that lasted until 2004/2005.

With Machine 5.0 (Image C), the project took on a sharper focus. The soundscape and content moved closer to punk aesthetics. A hardcore soundscape assaults the senses with distorted beats, mechanical rhythms, and a relentless, raw intensity, with the robot’s singing/speaking interaction further emphasized by its movements. The robot was controlled via an interface designed for live operation. Using a standard MIDI keyboard, they could “play” the robot’s motions in sync with music and audience responses.

With Machine 6.0 (image D), they moved away from the monumentality of the previous robot in favor of intimacy—an approach that proved highly effective. Initially conceived as a computer-controlled installation, Machine 6.0 later became part of performance projects alongside Machine 5.0.