About this activity.

Eschaton Fulfillment Center
Igor Bobeldijk

Exhibition:

December 6, 2024 - February 28, 2025

Thursdays & Fridays | 15.00 - 19.00 hrs.

Winterbreak December 21 - January 8

For the past three months, Igor Bobeldijk has been investigating the connection between algorithms, ancient rituals, and modern technology at NP3 | MOBi. By bringing together his background in computer science, artificial intelligence, and fine arts, he creates an interactive experience. Set against NP3 | MOBi industrial environment, wandering robots move in a ritual amidst shipping containers, reminiscing of mass trade and consumption.  

Inspired by Amazon’s warehouse robots, Igor repurposes existing materials to build robots with a raw, imperfect aesthetic, whose movements in the space mimic the precision and repetition of religious rituals. By tracing the origins of algorithms back to ancient spiritual practices, he transforms these abstract systems into tangible rituals for the technological age. 

Igor invites the audience to reflect on themes such as ecological crisis, capitalism, and the darker aspects of technology, albeit in a playful and interactive way. He raises a question: What do we worship today? In a world where technology has become a new source of trust and faith, valued for its supposed usefulness, Igor’s robots challenge this utilitarian perspective. By being “questionably useful,” they suggest that rituals, too, might hold unexpected utility.

Text: Sonia Polidori (Intern MA Art History & Curatorial Studies, RUG)

Eschaton Fulfillment Center by Igor Bobeldijk is developed within the LABitat programme at NP3 | MOBi.

NP3.

NP3 is een tentoonstellings- en onderzoeksruimte voor hedendaagse experimenterende kunst. Zij beschikt over drie unieke locaties in de stad van Groningen met ieder een eigen architectuur, functie en uitstraling: RE:Search:Gallery aan de Hofstraat 21, de containerkunsthal MOBi aan de Suikerlaan 41 en eMMa het 24/7/365 interactieve programma in de Videobusstop van Rem Koolhaas op het Emmaplein.

Location.

NP3 | MOBi
Suikerlaan 41
9743 DA Groningen
tel +31(0)50 - 2044 783
www.np3.nu/