Sougwen Chung has been presented with an Excellence Award by the Japan Media Arts Festival for her drawing robot D.O.U.G._1, which explores the possibility of artistic collaborations between humans and robots. The project was first developed last year at NEW INC in New York and presented at Red Bull Studios.

For the project, Chung and D.O.U.G._1 (a.k.a. the Drawing Operations Unit: Generation 1) produce complex drawings together in real time. The robotic drawing arm is designed to synchronise its movements with Chung’s – however, sometimes the software or hardware deviates from its purpose, creating inconsistencies which are viewed as part of the collaborative process.

Chung’s art practice spans across software, illustration, space and light. Her complex works combine performance, drawing and digital media, expressively exploring in order to produce new and hybrid forms. She facilitates and examines the production of an aesthetic which is both (wo)man-made and machine-made, putting together harmonious and asynchronous interactions, replications and deviations.

Chung presented a drawing performance with D.O.U.G._1 during the Japan Media Arts Festival 2016, which took place from 3 - 14 February 2016.

Read an interview with the artist on New Hive.