Alexander Reben

Working across robotics, AI, and interactive systems, Alexander Reben creates conceptual and technology-driven art that blurs boundaries between the real and artificial, often using humor to provoke thought on human-machine relationships.

The Artwork

AI and the Anvil

2024 | Biocompatible Polyamide

With AI and the Anvil, Alexander explores how language can be directly transformed into sculpture. Alexander works with AI to create digital instructions that guide robotic systems in shaping complex metal forms. In collaboration with Machina Labs, which designs and builds the advanced robotic machines used in this process, Alexander pushes the boundaries of automated fabrication. This process redefines the relationship between art and fabrication, allowing for levels of precision and complexity beyond traditional sculptural methods. By merging artificial intelligence with industrial machinery, Alexander challenges the limits of both mediums, creating pieces that embody a fusion of algorithmic generation and physical craftsmanship. The result isn't just a sculpture but an exploration of how technology can extend human creativity into new, tangible dimensions.

Look Closer

Built in partnership with Machina Labs, an NVIDIA NVentures portfolio company.

Poetry in Motion

Beyond the finished sculptures, the process itself becomes a performance. Alexander describes the robots’ synchronized movements as a high-pressure tango, where each machine counterbalances the other to exert the immense force required to shape metal. This choreography is both mechanical and poetic, reflecting the delicate interplay between precision and unpredictability. The controlled yet dynamic nature of the process mirrors the collaboration between human intent and machine execution. By highlighting this dance of creation, AI and the Anvil invites viewers to reconsider the role of automation in art, not as a tool, but as an evolving creative force.

Poetry in Motion

Beyond the finished sculptures, the process itself becomes a performance. Alexander describes the robots’ synchronized movements as a high-pressure tango, where each machine counterbalances the other to exert the immense force required to shape metal. This choreography is both mechanical and poetic, reflecting the delicate interplay between precision and unpredictability. The controlled yet dynamic nature of the process mirrors the collaboration between human intent and machine execution. By highlighting this dance of creation, AI and the Anvil invites viewers to reconsider the role of automation in art, not as a tool, but as an evolving creative force.

Author Note: The above reference component is used for achieving reverse order in Mobile view only on second module.

The Process

Using AI, Alexander generates sculptural designs, which transform into instructions that guide robotic systems in shaping metal. This fusion of code and machinery enables levels of detail beyond traditional methods and expands the possibilities of automated fabrication.

Robocraftsman, a metal-carving robot by Machina Labs, transforms Alexander’s AI-generated designs into physical sculptures. Drawing inspiration from traditional craftsmanship, it refines the metal incrementally through precise, AI-driven movements. Each pass sharpens the details of Alexander’s design, achieving a level of accuracy and complexity beyond the capabilities of conventional fabrication. By merging AI with advanced robotics, Alexander expands the role of automation in sculpture, pushing the boundaries of how machines can participate in artistic creation.

Robocraftsman continuously learns from every operation, broadening its ability to manipulate materials in new ways. It currently forms and trims sheet metal, but as more data is gathered, it will soon tackle tasks like heat treatment, forging, bending, and hemming. As Robocraftsman refines its techniques, Alexander is able to create increasingly complex sculptures, further expanding the role of robotics in fabrication.

The Process

Using AI, Alexander generates sculptural designs, which transform into instructions that guide robotic systems in shaping metal. This fusion of code and machinery enables levels of detail beyond traditional methods and expands the possibilities of automated fabrication.

Robocraftsman, a metal-carving robot by Machina Labs, transforms Alexander’s AI-generated designs into physical sculptures. Drawing inspiration from traditional craftsmanship, it refines the metal incrementally through precise, AI-driven movements. Each pass sharpens the details of Alexander’s design, achieving a level of accuracy and complexity beyond the capabilities of conventional fabrication. By merging AI with advanced robotics, Alexander expands the role of automation in sculpture, pushing the boundaries of how machines can participate in artistic creation.

Robocraftsman continuously learns from every operation, broadening its ability to manipulate materials in new ways. It currently forms and trims sheet metal, but as more data is gathered, it will soon tackle tasks like heat treatment, forging, bending, and hemming. As Robocraftsman refines its techniques, Alexander is able to create increasingly complex sculptures, further expanding the role of robotics in fabrication.

About Alexander Reben

Alexander Reben is an artist exploring the human nature of the artificial. With a background at MIT Media Lab, he examines human-robot symbiosis through experimentation and prototyping, revealing our deep ties to technology. For over a decade, he's worked with deep learning and is a pioneer in the field, pushing the boundaries of AI-driven creativity. His work blends absurdity, humor, and mischief to challenge our perceptions of automation.

A leading figure in art and technology, Alexander was the first Artist in Residence at OpenAI and has since held a residency at Meta. In 2024, his solo museum retrospective, AI Am I?, debuted at the Crocker Art Museum. His work has been exhibited globally and featured in The New York Times, CNN, and NPR.

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