Fall Exhibitions in Paris: Robotic Art at the Cité des Sciences

Hospital beds breathing, in synch, like a living organism – anonymous and nondescript. A robotic arm painting a monumental picture with a level of detail that would be physically impossible for a human. I expected this exhibit of robotic art to be interesting and thought-provoking, but I’m not sure I expected it to be so beautiful.

Art made by robots – or robots made by artists – manages to push science and technology into the realm of emotion, as is the case with the trance-inducing Liquid Matrix 3D by Christian Partos and Shiro Takatani. You can smell and hear the raindrops, and must trust your eyes as they tell you it’s raining upwards.

Then there’s the Totemobile by Chico MacMurtrie / ARW , a little Citroën DS which, once a day reveals its true personality, transforming into an 18-metre totem, to the wonder of appreciative visitors of all ages.

The Cité des Sciences is always a great family day out and right now it also offers the chance to discover a most distinctive form of art.

Tip: Pick your time slots online for each of the exhibits so that you can make the most of your visit. The venue is huge!

Robotic Art, until January 5, 2015, Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, 30 avenue Corentin-Cariou, Paris 19th. Métro: Porte de la Villette. Open daily 10am-6pm. Sundays until 7pm. Closed Mondays. Entry is €12 (package available from €18). Booking required. Tel: +33 1 40 05 70 00

From France Today magazine