Neurotic and the pogoing robots

For three nights, big pogo-ing robots will come to punk gigs in the ICA theatre, and we will question how learning develops through the empathetic responses of the brain. Artist Fiddian Warman has played the punk records he collected as a young man to his robots, ‘programming’ them to become punks just like he was. Each night they will be tested – will the mechanical moshpit react with pleasure to the live music they’ve been brought up to love? How is taste embodied in human neurons and artificial neural networks? Fiddian fronts the band Neurotic and the PVCs with tracks written especially for the robots. Support bands during the three nights include Fumadores, Gertrude, The Red Eyes, Viva Las Vegas, Scrotum Clamp and The Devil’s Hotpants. The scientific and cultural issues related to Neurotic will be explored on a website and open forum before, during and after the performances on this site. Supported by the Wellcome Trust.