Embedded within Serenades for Settling (Tending Ostreidae) are sculptural oyster reefs populated with robotic oysters.
These “oysters,” conceptualized by artists Stephanie Rothenberg and Suzanne Thorpe, are designed to be sound responsive. This means that they mimic behavior that a real oyster may make when they sense sounds at particular frequencies and amplitudes.
For example, when loud instances of low frequency sounds are detected, the robotic oysters close their shells. When the sound recedes, or the oyster grows accustomed to the sound, the oyster reopens its shell.
Our listening robotic oysters were designed in collaboration with Professor Karthik Dantu, Director of the Center for Embodied Autonomy and Robotics (CEAR) at University at Buffalo and his team.
Seen here are UB computer science and robotics students Chetan Palker and Ralfy Chettiar who worked under the guidance of Professor Dantu to develop the robotic oyster prototype. They demonstrated the prototype at the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences end of semester poster sessions in May 2022.
Building on this prototype, we’ve networked several oysters to respond to marine traffic data from New York’s East River, with the assistance of sound and media artists Travis Johns and Paulina Velazquez.
We’ve also added a few speculatively playful behaviors to our robotic oysters in that they open when they hear specific melodies. With this gesture we ask: can we serenade oysters into a healthy state? Can we cultivate a symbiotic state with oysters that benefits us and them? Listen as vocalist Tiffany Dumouchelle (working with sound artist Travis Johns) sings a melody and watch the oyster respond.