Inspired by Philon of Byzantium’s ancient automatic servant—a robotic hand that served wine in temples—this work reimagines that gesture as an act of refusal. The interactive mechanical hand, built from servo components and wearable scaffolding, performs erratic or incomplete motions. It disrupts the logic of obedience and explores panic as a glitch in consent. The hand does not serve; it hesitates. Its silence resists the system it was built to obey.
Consent Not Guaranteed / Keya Shah, Elora Trotter, Marcos Hernández, Clara Juong - Photo: Keya Shah, Elora Trotter, Marcos Hernández, Clara Juong
Exhibit
Consent Not Guaranteed
Keya Shah (IN), Elora Trotter (US), Marcos Hernández (VE), Clara Juong (KR)
Credits
Presented by the Interactive Media Program at NYUAD. Mentorship: Aaron Sherwood, Aya Riad, Michael Ang, Michael Shiloh, Sara Niroobakhsh, Nimrah Syed IM Instructors: Ume Hussain and Dustin Foster
Please note: The program for the Ars Electronica Festival 2025 is still in progress.
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