Coding Robotic Motions, Decoding Cultural Notions

Three months of spicy Masala food to spark the fire of life inside robotic artworks may seem a daunting task, but not for an ETH computer science student.

When I told my friends and family in Switzerland that I had decided to go to India to work for an art studio, the decision was met with some apprehension. My mother was worried for my safety, my father asked why he supported my studies for the past years if it was for me to go be an artist in India; but my friends were mainly excited and intrigued. Nevertheless, they almost all understood what I was going to be doing and why the cultural component was important. Once in India, the locals met my decision a bit differently. When explaining what I was doing in India (“that I came to India to work for an art studio with a computer science background”), I most often got a "but why?" followed by puzzled and disappointed-looking faces. Why do you come from “heaven” to India to work, what do you mean by “art”… ? These country-dependent reaction differences were, for me, the tip of an iceberg full of cultural differences that largely surpassed any Bollywood movie or stereotype I may have had beforehand.

Although it is impossible to grasp and even more to summarise the Indian culture after just three months, one aspect that particularly stayed with me were the contrasts. Indeed, India seems to me to be a country full of contrasts and contradictions. On one hand, I saw some of the most beautiful and untouched landscapes. On the other, I was also confronted with the most stomach-turning sights, that I will probably never forget. The city of Bangalore feels hectic and chaotic, and the people are in a constant rush, but it's also the most welcoming and closely-knit culture I've experienced so far. There is a lot of poverty and hurt, but you also feel extremely safe and see a lot of love on the streets.

These contrasts make day-to-day life an adventure. The most simple activities like commuting to work or doing groceries take unpredictable and unrepeatable paths. If you're a bit tired, going through some Delhi Belly (stomach ache) or just a bit hungover, it can be really exhausting, but it also gives a touch of adventure and excitement to your daily life that I'll truly miss. This is probably especially true for someone like me, who is used to the Swiss efficiency. A great example of this are the trains, where delays aren’t announced, doors don’t close and you have people running through the alleys selling local delicacies.

The contrasts in the culture were matched by the variety at work. When I arrived at Pors & Rao, they had many different art pieces that were mechanically ready, but needed their motion to be implemented. As this was my first introduction to robotics and the projects had to be ready for an art show at the end of my internship, it could be a bit stressful, but it was also very fun to be able to hop between different projects and slowly bring them to life. My work was also very independent, this could make me feel a bit lost at times when struggling to fix some bugs, but also made me reflect about more efficient project setups and ultimately was a very good learning experience.

In summary, India was a great adventure; from my first glimpse in the art world, to amazing weekend trips simply a night train away. All I can say is that if coming here felt scary, leaving will be a lot harder.

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