WHAT IS THE SOULBOT?

SoulBot 1.0 is a 25 foot tall metal African robot sculpture to be built on a lot in the Upton Community in Baltimore City. The Bot will be stationary with a concrete base that anchors it to the ground, but will be constructed with modular pieces (consisting of found material, scrap metal and polycarbonate components) so that it can be transported around to various sites in the city. The residency for this project's initial installation in Penn Ave will be 3 years based on the agreement reached with the organization that has purview over the lot. The Bot will have functional lights that are programmed to activate at designated intervals. The Bot will eventually feature flat solar panel shingles and a small wind turbine which will generate energy that will be stored in batteries. The batteries will power the Bot's light array. 

SoulBot will also feature a shield that resembles a Lukasa memory board from the Luba nation in West Africa. The aesthetics of the shield will be designed by Penn North residents so that it acts as a historical document/mnemonic device for collective community memory of events, people and places specific to the community. The SoulBot will have a short comic book, produced by local artists in conjunction with youth in the Penn North/Upton community, that will detail the “myth” behind the SoulBot's arrival. The construction process will include consultation with a team of master sculptors and construction leadership by a bonded contractor. Community members will assist in preparing the lot, construction and painting of the Bot and will be given exposure to the electronics that govern the Bot's technology. 

The process of building SoulBot and the subsequent operation of the installation will create experiential learning opportunities spanning several disciplines for all who come in contact with the project. Each step of the process will be documented and converted into lesson plans that can be applied to myriad learning environments.