ROBOEXOTICA

In 1999 Chris Veigl and Magnus Wurzer succeeded in persuading some of their artisan freaky friends like monochrom, Aaron Kaplan, Martin Reiter and others to participate in a "Festival for Cocktailrobotics" in which the best creations were to be awarded gilded R2D2s.
Those were 4 crazy nights at the VEKKS which had reopened its doors in it's new location that year. The event was also featured on the then-hip local TV "TIV" and all in all momentum enough was gathered to repeat the spectacle with a widening range of participants in the following years.

In 2002 monochrom asked us to move the festival to their newly procured quarters in Museumsquartier - the "Electric Avenue", which located the ROBOEXOTICA in a central and well-known location.
Together with funding coming in from the vienna city government that made possible the establishing of a symposium, inviting of foreign guests and generally expanding.
As a consequence in 2005 the event moved to the spacier Freiraum within Museumsquartier.

Besides the exhibition, the symposium and the Annual Cocktail Robot Awards , workshops, lectures, musical performances and filmscreenings round off the program of the festival.
But what makes it so distinguished is the relaxed atmosphere in which artists meet scientists who exchange their views with philosophers who find a common cause with tech-people who will discuss future with joe average after a couple cocktails!

Link to ROBOEXOTICA homepage

More than hundred artists and scientists have been involved in appearances at ROBOEXOTICA.
30sec name-dropping-rap: Prof. Kopacek, Marlene Streeruwitz, Cory Doctorow, Karen Marcelo, Douglas Repetto, Sergey Teterin, Prof. Hrachovec, Prof. Calkins, Kal Spelletich, Jake Appelbaum, Peter Asaro, Suguru Goto, ABB, FH Technikum, oh - time's up (ah, and time's up from Linz were also there) ...

ROBOEXOTICA tries to discuss the role of cocktail robotics as an index for the integration of technological innovations into the human Lebenswelt and to document the increasing occurrence of radical hedonism in man-machine communication as well as being an enjoyable platform for anyone interested in the related topics.

The exhibits have shown robotic installations that served drinks, mixed drinks, held cocktail conversations, lighted cigarettes and last but not least have shown "other achievements in the sector of electronic cocktail culture". Hence the categories of the Annual Cocktail Robot Awards read:
1. serving cocktails
2. mixing cocktails
3. cocktail conversation
4. lighting cigarettes
5. other achievements in the sector of electronic cocktail culture
2004 a public's choice award was also introduced ...

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