Robodock 2007

If I told you that I spent the weekend following a fire breathing mechanical horse through a bizarre realm of steam powered music and flaming serpents you might think that I have been taking advantage of Holland’s soft law on recreational narcotics and spent the last few days in a drug fueled fantasy land of hallucinations. However, before anyone decides to organize an intervention I should explain that I was in fact at the Robodock festival in Amsterdam.

What is Robodock you might ask?

“Robodock is a unique international festival with technology, art, spectacle theatre, multimedia and industrial installations at its core. In co-operation with artists, technology students, architects, designers and theatre makers the festival is spectacularly designed by recycling scrap metal and other industrial waste products. This is an important part of the Robodock way of working and creating.

The festival’s pulse is an unpredictable combination of disciplines and bizarre theatrical applications in which fire, steel and this year’s theme ‘Rhythm and Time / Ten Years Transformation’ are important elements. None of the arts is excluded: theatre, music, dance, film, multimedia, visual arts, acrobatics, technical experiments and deejays.”

Stepping into Robodock is like stepping into a Mad Max movie. Every thing is made from salvaged and recycled materials which creates a post apocalyptic survivors market atmosphere.

I drank beer at a bar made out of slowly revolving pianos and attempted to play ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’ as I sipped my drink. I listened to an artillery cannon band perform music by firing flames from huge gas pipes. I watched a man demonstrate his flying platform. I danced to the music provided by a robotic band and I put a bet on a power sander at the power tools drag race but lost to an electric drill (only pride, not money).

A Cylon fallen on hard times joins a local band as a drummer

A giant fifty meter serpent mother that breathes fire protects her egg

Only one person made the mistake of suggesting scrambled eggs

Lots of drunk people trying to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

I think they need a bigger scarecrow

These ladies are obviously carrying a torch for someone

My ride home

The only things that were missing were Tina Turner and the Thunder Dome