I am an artist and researcher working at the intersection of traditional arts and emerging technologies. My practice explores how machines and materials can be made expressive and alive, most recently through puppetry and drone technology. In academia, I focus on building inclusive, interdisciplinary bridges between art, science, and engineering.
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My artistic journey is driven by a profound appreciation for traditional art forms and an immense curiosity about the possibilities of new technologies. I build upon the foundational concepts of traditional art in my work, drawing inspiration from their techniques, themes, and narratives. However, I am also fascinated by the constantly changing world of technology. In my practice, it does not replace traditional forms of expression but rather expands them and provides a new set of tools to tell stories.
My artistic inquiry delves into the expressive potential of various media, seeking to unveil the spark of life within machines and inanimate objects. Through experimentation with different media, I investigate how inert materials can be imbued with a sense of vitality. As a science enthusiast, I am also captivated by the potential of diverse technologies to generate patterns inspired by mathematical themes. This approach allows me to explore the hidden poetry within the natural world and technological systems. I collaborate with engineers, artists, media scholars, physicists, and other creative minds to explore the intersection of various disciplines like mathematics, robotics, game studies, and traditional arts.
I was awarded the Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship to work on the project Isabella's Flight: Aerial System for Puppetry with Drones, Isabella's Flight is a research project that combines traditional puppetry with modern drone technology. My research focuses on developing the expressive potential of drones to create two characters with unique personalities, emotions, and thought processes. The study explores the intricate construction, control techniques, and animation principles that make drone puppets more lifelike and emotionally engaging.
I completed my doctoral studies at Concordia University with two research-creation projects, ROBOT LUDENS and PICT.IO. ROBOT LUDENS is an art installation exploring machines playing alive and dead, while PICT.IO is a Collaborative Drawing Game for Humans and Machines . I have conducted multiple research-creation projects in the last fifteen years involving art and technology. In many of those projects, I have acted as general coordinator and artistic director, orchestrating the various aspects of production. I have exhibited my artwork at ZKM (2017), Papier Fest (2019), and Printemps Numérique (2019). I was awarded a CAPES Foundation Scholarship (under the Ministry of Education of Brazil, my home country) to pursue my Ph.D. in Canada. I received funding to implement my artwork, including the Brazilian Fundo de Apoio a Cultura (FAC) (2011), Hexagram's research-creation grant (2017), and internal funding from Concordia's faculties of arts and engineering to create the work light painting with a drone (2019). From 2021 to 2024, I received the European Commission's Marie Curie Fellowship and was employed as a postdoctoral researcher at UCLouvain.
Working in academia, my primary goal is establishing a research alliance between arts and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for interdisciplinary collaboration. My work provide opportunities for students to apply theoretical knowledge by creating media art, games, and other exploratory projects that can contextualize and improve their learning experience. Additionally, I want to promote more comprehensive discussions about technological development's technical, aesthetic, social, and political aspects while striving to make STEM fields and academia more accessible for marginalized groups.