PROJECT DESCRIPTION

"Little Spacebots" explores the theatrical, performative and educational dimensions of robots, Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality through the thematic lens of robots deployed in outer space missions.
The main artistic outputs will be theatre productions involving custom-built robots as performers, inspired by real space robots, and an XR interactive experience for children/preteenagers on the history of robots in space. The partners will organise multidisciplinary workshops for preteenagers:

- to familiarise participants with the history and ethics of human intervention in outer space;
- to generate content that will serve as an inspiration source for the performances and the interactive XR experience.
Within an artistic research paradigm, the project will investigate:
- the use of generative AI as a heuristic tool for collective creation
- the custom design and deployment of robots in theatre productions
- the audience’s experience of the robot productions
- the educational benefits of the workshops, performances and the XR experience.
The research outputs will consist of academic publications and conferences

ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION

Founded in 1965 as the first Romanian theatre dedicated to young audiences, “Ion Creangă” Theatre is still the only public theatre in Bucharest addressed exclusively to children under
the age of 12. It is also the first theatre to have introduced a repertoire for very young children (aged under 3). Its mission is to produce theatre performances for children in Romania’s capital and beyond. In addition, the Theatre develops complementary artistic programs, with the educational aims of encouraging and nurturing children’s cultural consumption and
facilitating their access to a diversity of performances. The Theatre’s objective is to foster children’s cultural education, shaping their aesthetic taste through theatre performances of a high artistic standard, as well as offering educational and interactive experiences.