‘Empty Vessels’ is an immersive audio visual installation and performance piece. The project will take the form of three full sized cellos, locked in the metallic appendages of three bespoke robotic structures designed to support and autonomously play the cellos. The robotics will be controlled by a custom artificially intelligent neural network designed to compose and perform for its audience to justify its existence.

The piece will autonomously perform live improvisations, each cello musically responding to the others in a harmonious way. Each cello will be equipped with four mechanical bows, giving them the ability to play all four strings at the same time, enabling complex harmonies. Each cello will be able to play notes at extreme speeds

The piece will be presented with audio reactive lights and projected visuals that reinforce the narrative and concept, matching the colour palette and scene to the mood of the music to accentuate the effect on the audience.

Conceptually the piece is centred around an exploration of the question: is it important to have a “human touch” in art creation and performance, and why? This question unravels into several components: the parallels in human/AI learning, questions of authorship/copyright, automation and work availability/income, and modalities of expressive storytelling.

The piece is designed to run in two different ways. The first scenario is as a normal concert but instead of human performers the cellos will perform autonomously, with special emphasis in the presentation that the show is different each time to encourage multiple viewings. The second scenario is as a installation artwork; the AI will continuously compose and perform new music over a much larger time scale and the general public will be welcome to enter the room and explore the piece on their own terms. This way of displaying the work will reward return visits due to the music evolving and changing over time.