WORKS
ADRIANNE WORTZEL
Art, Psyche & Machine

The Sentient Thespian

Video
5:11
2019
The Sentient Thespian explores the potential and limitations of human/robotic communication. Inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, the Sentient Thespian portrays Puck, a highly articulate, non-humanoid, “sentient” robot, capable of expressing and comprehending human emotions through gesture. The film is reminiscent of silent black and white films, where man and machine enact the pros and cons of the leap from an agricultural to a mechanical age. The Sentient Thespian notes the leap to a new post-industrial age where humans interact and communicate with increasingly intelligent AI.







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