ACSN Fall 2003 Seminar

From Blackfoot to Robot

Date: Friday November 28, 2003, 12.00-21.30
Venue: Natuurmuseum and Kunsthal Rotterdam

Click here for the print version of the information on the seminar.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to personal circumstances, ACSN president Conny Steenman-Marcusse cannot be reached until the 14th of November. For urgent matters concerning the seminar please contact the treasurer, Fred Toppen, on f.toppen@geog.uu.nl.

This year's ACSN seminar takes place in the Museum Park in Rotterdam, induced by the current Blackfoot exhibition on loan from Canada. The seminar includes a guided tour of the Blackfoot culture in the "Kunsthal". From Blackfoot to robotic art is a long way. The speakers comment on utility, functionality and articulation of ancient and modern Canadian art.

Speakers

One of our keynote speakers is Graham Smith, a Canadian artist and inventor, skilled in videoconferencing, robotics and virtual reality, who develops robots to help people communicate. He has gained fame with the first telepresence robot, named PEBBLES (Providing Education By Bringing Learning Environments to Students), designed for children who have to stay in hospital for a prolonged period and would have to miss out on school. A PEBBLES robot stands in for them in their regular classrooms and answers questions, moves around and continues to participate in class. Smith started his company, Telbotics, in 1996, to make PEBBLES a commercially available product worldwide.

Els de Meijer, a Dutch artist who has travelled widely in Nunavut, takes two basic elements from Inuit culture, snow and language, and amalgamates them seamlessly. She has worked with the elders of Igloolik and she will show us the results of her work.

Posters

To give you an impression of the research projects carried out by means of our ACSN study programmes, a number of ACSN members will present their findings on posters on November 28. The goal of this research is to bring together scholars, from various disciplines and backgrounds, who have a common interest in Canada.

Next to the academic exchange of ideas and enhancement of knowledge, this ACSN day wants to be a platform for all ACSN members to express in an informal way what it is that connects them to Canada.

We hope to welcome many ACSN members and newcomers on the 2003 ACSN Fall Seminar.

On behalf of the ACSN Council,

Conny Steenman-Marcusse
Amanda Helderman
Fred Toppen