Like a bolt from the blue, a new presence has made its way onto the sculptural scene in Carrara, Italy, where Michelangelo created the famous David. It is "1L", a robot created by the startup Robotor to solve some problems related to the creation of sculptures. Which? For example, the duration of the works. Or the amount of waste and wasted material produced in carrying out the works. A sculpting robot like 1L represents a real innovation, but in this field it risks bringing a lot of bad feelings along with it.
How 1L, the Robotor sculpting robot works
Imagine a 4m (13ft) high piece of “marcantonio” carving Carrara marble with a drill coated with synthetic diamond dust. And he's able to complete a project in just four days, dozens of times faster than a human sculptor. The L1 was designed to work around the clock day and night, and its mechanical arm is capable of sculpting wondrous works of art that rival the masterpieces of the likes of Michelangelo, Donatello and Canova. The results are truly amazing!
That's how you kill art, though. Or not?
Italy is known around the world for its amazing historic art scene. Absolute masterpieces, timeless, and made entirely by hand, with ingenuity and human ability. What would happen if a sculpting robot became part of the Italian art scene? Would there be a risk that this change would eliminate the craftsmanship behind the sculpture?
James Massari, the founder of Robotor, doesn't think so. According to him, the robot is capable of doing 99% of the work, but still needs that human touch to complete the sculpture and transform it into something worthy of being displayed in a museum. Furthermore, Massari points out that 1L is more of an "assistant sculptor", as it allows artists to save time and avoid mistakes. Not everyone is convinced by these arguments.
One year after its launch, the idea of a sculpting robot is still encountering some resistance within the artistic community. Lorenzo Calcinai, of the Florence Duomo workshop, says that if robots take over in this field too "we run the risk of forgetting how to work with our hands", and hopes that some artisanal skills will continue to prevail.
Meanwhile, however, artists such as Jeff Koons e Maurizio Cattelan they are already working with Massari to transform their ideas into sculptures thanks to the robotic hands of 1L. He may not be an artist, but he never backs down.
