Larger text
Smaller text
Print
E-mail
Musical robots put on a show at Children's Museum
'LEMURtron' exhibit
LEMUR
When: Saturday-Sept. 7. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays
Admission: Included with general admission of $9; $8 for ages 2-18 and senior citizens
Where: Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, 10 Children's Way, North Side
Details: 412-322-5058
Kellie B. Gormly can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7824.
In the "LEMURtron" traveling exhibit, which opens Saturday at the North Side museum and runs through Sept. 7, robotic technology makes up self-playing musical instruments that operate without human fingers. Visitors to the museum can, however, manipulate the instruments to play music by moving around and playing some graphics games, the images of which are projected onto the floor of the exhibit.
"It's a whole a lot of fun," Eric Singer says. He is the executive director of Brooklyn, N.Y.-based LEMUR: League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, a group of artists and technologists who create LEMURtron instruments.
Kids at the exhibit, Singer says, are "seeing a lot of things that they've never seen before. It's really kind of magical to move around in a space, and have physical things happen under your control."
The futuristic ensemble's lineup of instruments includes GuitarBot, an electric-stringed instrument which can pick and slide rapidly, and ModBots, which are miniature percussion robots in a variety of styles, such as beaters, singing bells and shakers. As the ModBots move, they create a symphony of sound that surrounds visitors from all directions
LEMURtron's presenting partner is Robot 250, which is a series of events, exhibits and activities organized by the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Robot 250 is part of Pittsburgh's 250th birthday being celebrated throughout the year.
"We do like to try different things and different themes," says Penny Lodge, the Children's Museum's director of exhibits. "Particularly, ... being involved with Robot 250, we thought, 'Wow, this could be a really good connection.' "
LEMURtron, Lodge says, also will surprise the museum's visitors.
"To have something here ... that focuses on sound and music, I think, will be really exciting for us, and really interesting."
More Art and Museums headlines
- Exhibit blurs line between artist, tools
- Science center's new SportsWorks set to open Dec. 19
- Three artists embark on creative journey at Fe Gallery
- Clocks play a prominent role in landscape
- Pop-up art galleries fill unused urban spaces
- 'Transfer Lounge' being shown in Spain, U.S.
- Lankton exhibit finds home at Mattress Factory
- 'Whales/Tohora' on display at history museum
