FriendsWithYou Introduces “The BAND” at the Cleveland Public Library
An interactive dancing ensemble of five fuzzy robots
For more than two decades, FriendsWithYou (the playfully pioneering art collaboration between Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III) has surprised and delighted viewers around the world. Their latest revelatory work, The BAND (short for Biodigital Autonomous Neuro Dancers), recently debuted at the Cleveland Public Library and will be available to experience for free for an entire year. Comprised of five large-scale robots—each a different color, but all fuzzy to the touch—the interactive piece taps into the joy of dance, and the healing power of sound, as it strives to build connection between the robots and library guests of all ages. As with other works in their repertoire, it’s an amalgamation of future-forward technology and optimism. To learn more about the AI-powered art experience, we spoke with Borkson and Sandoval for their unique insight.
How did the partnership with the Cleveland Public Library come to be?
Arturo Sandoval: They found us, it was a cosmic match. They were so open to new ideas, so enthusiastic and with their hearts in the right place… how do we create magical moments for everyone in a hyper-democratic space, the library.
Sam Borkson: We really shot for the stars and hit them this time… a true dream project.
This is free for everyone to enjoy for a year! Can you talk about why that’s important?
AS: One of the key pillars of our work is to create communal experiences. We have always felt that art needs to be accessible to everyone… it seems like a simple idea, but most art institutions have just recently embraced that concept in a focused manner. We have seen a tangible shift in the museum space, for instance, embracing “experiences” as a priority. We are happy to see this shift.
SB: The library allows for connection to people of all ages and backgrounds, to access this work and become part of the art. That’s our dream always.
How did you begin to dream up the concept of the BAND?
AS: We did a performance a few years ago at Dallas Contemporary Museum called “The Dance.” We took note that the level of excitement—the emotional response to the work—was truly palpable.
SB: Seeing the interaction with characters that had a choreography, and still played and snuggled viewers, allowed us to make such a big impact. So, the BAND had been in our mind for years since then.
AS: The other factor is the advancement in accessible robotics, LiDAR cameras and computer vision, things of that nature that gave us the idea that it was the right time to experiment with making a modulation of “The Dance.”
How was the concept transformed into five charming, large-scale robots?
AS: We knew we wanted to create this dance with the public. The idea revolves a lot around waves—this idea that electricity, matter, thoughts, emotions, etc. all move in waves. I personally have benn super-interested in the limitations of the symbolic sphere, meaning that some things could only be shown by movement, by dancing, by music. So many waves. I think that is one of the key reasons why each of the robots are a single color as well. They are the representation of that color wave; they are manifestations of movement.
Compassion and optimism are integral to your work. You’ve also noted here that the mission was to heal our relationship to technology. How does this strive to do so?
AS: We are hyper techno-optimistic. That’s a bit of a generalization, and there are many parts of technology that I have hesitations about—its positive versus negative impact on the social fiber of culture. Regardless, I think there is a general mistrust of AI and a very unfounded fear of advancements in technology that I believe to be a fallacy. Technology is nothing but cosmic wisdom that we ourselves are manifesting and channeling…it is the purest form of faith.
SB: All of our work has a healing component. These BAND members use healing frequencies to raise our vibration, but they are also healing in their spectacle. Their dance is so beautiful and just seeing and playing with them brings so much joy to the people they interact with.
We’ve reached more than 20 years of FriendsWithYou. What has changed since you both first set out?
SB: The dream just keeps getting better and better. We have learned a lot about how to create these experiences, and our relentlessness in the pursuit of spreading joy and redesigning modes of modern spirituality through art only gets better and better.
AS: I think that when we first started to work together there were a lot of things we were channeling that were truly intuitive, things that we knew were valuable but were impossible to understand exactly why. I think that is what has changed. I think after 23 years of working on these projects, learning and immersing ourselves not just in the work but in a grander scale of “cultural systems” and “religious and symbolic” mechanics has changed not what we do, but how much we understand it. I think that gives us a different kind of strength.
What are your thoughts?