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Oribotics [network]

Oribotics is the study of origami and robotics. It focuses on the aesthetic, mechanical and reconfigurable possibilities of folded structures. Drawing inspiration from nature, this work is a robotic origami flower with a synthetic folded membrane. Designed as a bionic organism to be discovered in architectural spaces. It feeds on data and electricity, and in this exhibition: science fiction.

Matthew Gardiner's recent works are a hybrid of origami and technology. Since 2005, Gardiner has built a full scale Origami House from 1 square km of paper, directed Folding Australia (2005 and 2007) - Australia's first international Origami Convention, toured Oribotics in Belgium and Holland, completed an Australia Council residency in Tokyo where he developed a new generation of light interactive folding robots for Oribotics [laboratory], starred as an Origami presenter on ABC TV Sunday Arts for a 16 week season, installed over 7000 paper cranes at Melbourne's Federation Square, travelled to Pasadena California to present a paper at the 4th Origami Science and Mathematics Conference, and premiered Oribotics [network] at the 2007 Melbourne International Arts Festival, and after ArtBots he's off to make new work as an Artist in Residency in Germany.

http://www.oribotics.net
http://www.airstrip.com.au
http://www.papercrane.org

Acknowledgements: Ray Gardiner as Technical Director, Joshua Gardiner as Technical Support, My Trinh Gardiner as Graphic Designer, David Young and Rosemary Joy of Aphids for auspicing, Joe Iacono of Design Sense for industrial design.

Sponsors / Funding Bodies:
Arts Victoria, Arts Innovation Fund http://www.arts.vic.gov.au
Design Sense http://www.designsense.com.au/
Magna Tokyo http://www.magna-tokyo.com/eng/index.html
Etheira Technologies http://www.etech.net.au
Aphids http://www.aphids.net
Airstrip http://www.airstrip.com.au
Electroblossom http://www.electroblossom.com

Oribotics photo by Yatzek.