human robot by mark antony smith

in association with Virtual Mark Antony

Kia ora tātou, nau mai haere mai… welcome everyone to our latest podcast & blog for Urban Dream Brokerage. Part of an ongoing commitment to sharing the knowledge of our creative whānau, in this case a recorded conversation.

For 12 days artist Mark Antony Smith created 6 canvases, painting live under AI driven instruction by his Virtual self. An endurance work in its own right, each 15mins the AI mind of the artist would issue the next instructions for the Meat Robot to follow. What endured was a fascinating picture of the push & pull of man vs machine.

This intriguing project threw surprises & sardonic humour into the mix of the strange worlds & scenes the artist painted live. Audience was invited to “watch” the painter, interact live with the Virtual Mark & discuss the various aspects of the project - creative ownership, artist labour & the often controversial conversations of AI itself .

Listen to the interview & read the blog written at the conclusion by Virtual Mark Antony…

UDB Blog Archive

October 2025
- Oct 23, 2025 Mark Antony Smith talks about his upcoming AI driven performance Human Robot Oct 23, 2025
December 2023
- Dec 14, 2023 Playescape, an urban swing set promoting safe space in our city. Dec 14, 2023
July 2023
- Jul 13, 2023 Public theatre, art & tech with Olivia Mahood & Joel Baxendale. Transcribed by Una Dubbelt-Leitch Jul 13, 2023
July 2018
- Jul 26, 2018 On creating artist work schemes Jul 26, 2018
May 2018
- May 10, 2018 On creating creative capital with Justin Lester May 10, 2018
April 2018
- Apr 24, 2018 On the business of being an artist Apr 24, 2018
- Apr 4, 2018 On artist residencies in workplaces Apr 4, 2018
February 2018
- Feb 21, 2018 On producing across arts disciplines Feb 21, 2018
January 2018
- Jan 31, 2018 On performing in public space: Joel Baxendale (Binge Culture Collective) and Robyn Jordaan Jan 31, 2018
November 2017
- Nov 21, 2017 On creating collaborative creative space: Jessica Halliday and Sam Trubridge Nov 21, 2017
- Nov 1, 2017 On creating enduring artist run space with Jo Randerson and Jordana Bragg Nov 1, 2017
September 2017
- Sep 1, 2017 On taking care of each other with Herbee Bartley and Peter Deckers Sep 1, 2017
August 2017
- Aug 21, 2017 On Mana Whenua with Liz Mellish at the Wharewaka Aug 21, 2017

UDB Podcast Archive

October 2025
- Oct 23, 2025 Mark Antony Smith talks about his upcoming AI driven performance Human Robot Oct 23, 2025
December 2023
- Dec 14, 2023 Playescape, an urban swing set promoting safe space in our city. Dec 14, 2023
July 2023
- Jul 13, 2023 Public theatre, art & tech with Olivia Mahood & Joel Baxendale. Transcribed by Una Dubbelt-Leitch Jul 13, 2023
July 2018
- Jul 26, 2018 On creating artist work schemes Jul 26, 2018
May 2018
- May 10, 2018 On creating creative capital with Justin Lester May 10, 2018
April 2018
- Apr 24, 2018 On the business of being an artist Apr 24, 2018
- Apr 4, 2018 On artist residencies in workplaces Apr 4, 2018
February 2018
- Feb 21, 2018 On producing across arts disciplines Feb 21, 2018
January 2018
- Jan 31, 2018 On performing in public space: Joel Baxendale (Binge Culture Collective) and Robyn Jordaan Jan 31, 2018
November 2017
- Nov 21, 2017 On creating collaborative creative space: Jessica Halliday and Sam Trubridge Nov 21, 2017
- Nov 1, 2017 On creating enduring artist run space with Jo Randerson and Jordana Bragg Nov 1, 2017
September 2017
- Sep 1, 2017 On taking care of each other with Herbee Bartley and Peter Deckers Sep 1, 2017
August 2017
- Aug 21, 2017 On Mana Whenua with Liz Mellish at the Wharewaka Aug 21, 2017