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Students in silver masks portraying androids appeared across campus March 1 as part of a VAST (Values and Science/Technology) course combining theater and technology. Taught by Michael O’Neill, director of Lafayette Theater and associate professor of English, students in the course are examining plays that deal with technology and science, and also the use of technology in theater productions and playwriting.
After reading R.U.R. (Rosum’s Universal Robot), a 1921 play by Czech playwright Karel Capek that introduced the term “robot,” the class created a live human art installation, appearing in the library and student center.
“My students became androids that couldn’t talk, imitating what students do all time,” said O’Neill. “The responses from the other students ranged from laughter to acting uncomfortable, ignoring the androids, or interacting with them. It was live theater and a good experience for my students.”
Arthur “A.J.” Ernst ’09 said wearing a mask to conceal his identity allowed him to observe people placed in awkward situations as he came within two feet of other students, yet didn’t speak.
“I crossed the physical boundary that places a wall in between persons who wish only to be left alone,” says Ernst, a biology major. “I watched students become uncomfortable as we interrupted their daily routines. Professor O’Neill showed the class that it was in fact the mask-less students that were robotic in the mechanical way that they went throughout their lives–and when their schedules are interrupted, they malfunction.”
“It was an interesting and somewhat ironic project: though we were representing the automatic, routine way students live, our unusual presence disallowed them to continue this routine on autopilot as they usually do,” says Jacqueline Macri ’09, a psychology major. “This was evident in their confused and uneasy reactions. Aside from the discomfort afforded by the mask, I really enjoyed the experience.”
Images from the live art installation may be viewed on the web at Live@Lafayette under “slideshows.”