PALUDAN, Michala
Michala Paludan. The Unposed (EoAT)

The Unposed (EoAT) is the first monograph by Danish artist Michala Paludan, consisting of 101 photos of robot “hands”. From 2021–24 Paludan visited different robotics sites located in Germany, Denmark, Japan, Korea, and the United States. From digital paws to laser sensors, piano-playing electro-fingers to a not-so-dexterous clamp, The Unposed (EoAT) shows the human hand versioned as high-tech utensil: holders, pinchers, grabbers, supporters, strokers and cutters whose likenesses to the original, human body part vary according to the particularity of their functions.

In the robotics industry, the acronym EoAT refers to End of Arm Tools; that is, a tool required for performing a specific hand-like task such as holding, cutting or lifting. EoATs are the hardest elements to design on a robot. As the subject of a portrait, these machines—rather than what they produce—become the focus and, in mirroring the hands of human workers, Paludan emphasizes their absence. [publisher's note]

Published by Disko Bay, 2024
Monographs