Daemonium Machinæ
2025 | robotic installation
With Finis Musicae
An infrared motion tracking camera allows visitors to conduct Finis Musicae’s player robot in an entirely novel and visceral way. Transcending the boundaries of what defines a performer, DAEMONIUM MACHINÆ allows for telekinetic operation of a physical instrument in a neurochrome cathedral.
Commissioned by Mercer Labs and Roy Nachum, the permanent installation features Finis Musicae’s bespoke technology, otherworldly design and an original score, in collaboration with Teenage Engineering’s OP-1s and modular POM-400s. Now open to the public inside Mercer Labs NY.
Fredrik Gran – Robo Cellist Designer
Charlotte Kemp Muhl – Director
Sage Morei – Creative and Technical Director
Roy Nachum – Head curator
Tim Loderhose – Software Lead / Coding
Nader Shokair – Structural Engineer
Megan Gessner – Rosin/ Interface Code, installation supervisor
David Levine, Theresa Merchant – Production Assistance
Rob Ruth – Technical Assistant
Christopher Strawley, Nathan Nokes, Xuelong Mu, Eric Chang – Real Time Systems Support
Special thanks to Jacob Henessy-Rubin of NYC Robotics Network, Canal Plastics, Vention and Karl Ericsson of Svenska Elektrod AB
Opening: 20250424 Mercer Labs