Four renowned female musicians create works in response to the movements of an industrial robot that has been hacked and programmed by the artist to create four unique choreographies.

In this first-of-its-kind collaborative artwork, Conrad Shawcross takes a new approach to commissioning music, reversing the traditional process, so that the robot’s dance provides the inspiration and parameters for the music. On the evening of 10 October, Dillon & Clervaux, Mira Calix, Tamara Barnett Herrin & Mylo will perform their compositions live. In this work Shawcross takes inspiration from Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) the mathematician (and daughter of Lord Byron). Working alongside Charles Babbage, inventor of the first proto -computer, Lovelace predicted the birth of programmed music by more than a century. The musicians, all of whom use electronic programming in their work, worked closely with Shawcross in his studio discussing Babbage and Lovelace's discoveries, and studying the robot as it played out one of four programmed patterns created by the artist. Each distinctive pattern is based on ratios and drawings for the computer which Babbage never fully realised, a fact that provides added significance to the programming that depicts them and the computer generated music which they inspire. Following the opening night of performances, visitors of the exhibition will be able to select their chosen programme and related musical composition from a panel of four triggers.