Oribotics 2004

Oribotics [origin] premiered at the Next Wave Festival, May 18-30th 2004 at TCB Gallery. It was the first exhibition by Matthew Gardiner of his new field of research: Oribotics.

https://matthewgardiner.net/art/Oribotics_origin

What is Oribotics

Oribotics is the fusion of origami and technology, specifically 'bot' technology, such as robots, or intelligent computer agents known as bots. Ori-botics is a joining of two complex fields of study. Ori comes from the Japanese verb Oru literally meaning 'to fold'. Origami the japanese word for paper folding, comes from the same root. Oribotics is origami that is controlled by robot technology; paper that will fold and unfold at the click of a button.

What is an oribot?

An Oribot by definition is a folding bot. By this definition, anything that uses robotics/botics and folding together is an oribot. This includes some industrial applications already in existance, such as Miura's folds taken to space, and also includes my two latest works. Orimattic, and Oribotics.

This work oribotics, is a statement about the future of origami. It specifically showcases a primitive form of what is truely possible. It is my feeling that this show is only scratching the paint on the surface. That underneath this idea is an amazing machine. That is currently being developed. Programmers, engineers, and folders are naturally progressing towards the advent of true, pure oribotics - self folding systems.

This work shows primitive oribots. Flowers, blossoming to the world, showing their electronic dreams of mimicking real flowers. They are not able to reconfigure themselves, or reproduce, or have any effect on the world other than being beautiful. Their nature is in their crease patterns, and their robotics simply reveals that. The crease pattern is the core of their being, their program.

Matthew Gardiner 2004