Robots throw the sculpture future as some artists embrace the change and others push

This is an updated version of a history first published on November 10, 2024. The original video can be seen here.

---

In 1497, a 30-year-old ambitious and the city of carrier city to look for a perfect marble frame. Has searched months until found. Its name was Michelangelo, and the Marbon diave their immortal “, the plant.” From then, many other giants – think Bernini, canova-they placed their food to the carriage ston. Now, there is an upstart. And as his predecessors star, passes for a single name: Robo. Robo is part of a robot fleet that shouts the art of art, carving with pintpoint accuracy, and in registration time. But as first reported the last fall, not everyone is happy. An artist needs us, Michelangelo would be ruined in his grave.

The bad badges of the Apuan albums are standing for 30 kilometers through the northern Tuscany. Even in summer, his peaows baggage seems to covered with snow. But get close. Is not the marble of snow. Peeled and foresters, in in land, find mountains full of the world’s richly worldwide

Bill whitaker: it is noticeable.

GiaAComo Masses: Yes. Nucci boded right now in the ravacco – Valley where you can find the stones that Michelangelo used in the past.

We were traveled with Massari Giacomo, the CEO and Robotor feces, a company that makes robot that conceives.

Bill Whitaker: Some of this is in the statue of David?

GiaAComo Masses: Yes.

This was old michelangelo. We went to the quarry after the quarry. There are more than 600 above carrara. I look out of the shines rock was intense, when suddenly we’re lucky in darkness …

Bill Whitaker: Look at this.

…. a tunnel cut directly in the heart of a mounting of marble. We have given up until we can go further.

GIFOO MASRIE: Our job begins by here. The first hard part is to get the stone.

We have come what the songs call the cathedral call.

GiaAComo Masses: Yes, we try to fall.

Track has been slimy with marble mud.

Geacooasri: the chains.

Bill Whitaker: This is the breath.

From the floor, stone walls don’t dread on us. Massar Giacomo tells us carar’s minor had fallen out the vast cave more than 200 years. We will sell to see the project the next robotor: a monumental block on the size of a railway car of a stone car defective.

Bill Whitaker: Go to move this block out of here?

GiaAComo Masses: Let’s move this big boy from here.

Bill Whitaker: How?

GiaAComo Masses: Will be a couple of crane and a huge court to rise.

A feat not possible in Michelangelo’s time. But then, no was this:

Meet robo. One of the robot brigadoes taking the sculpture. We’ve seen like the brand hat of Leonardo da Vinci has been added. Not with hammer and cisel, but a pocket of 13 feet and a spinning diamond finger. The water jets held to Leonardo fresh. This was the work of the week for the robe with the other two to go.

Bill Whitaker: So, are you doing this old way, hammer and chisel, how long do you take?

Gatacomo masses: ten more times, at least.

Bill Whitaker: Ten Longer?

GiaAComo Masses: Yes, absolutely.

Massari used to told us their mechanical employees-seven and counting-don’t sleep, bad, or take holiday. Took the robots out of the automobil line and gave it the biggest brain.

The robotor’s chief, even a sculptor, turn on the artist pattern in a 3D file. That generates a set of instructions that counts the robot exactly where the cupped to the last half inch.

Bill Whitaker: How old is done by the robot and computer, and how much by the human artist?

GiaAComo Masses: Let’s talk a very tall percentage that can be done by the machine.

Bill Whitaker: As you?

GiaAComo Masses: As, 99 percent.

Bill Whitaker: 99 percent?

GiaAComo Masses: Yes. And 1% very much that is the most important thing is also made by very qualified artisans in our workshop.

A single percent? But one hundred, mashing, he told us, they can translate in m’s age of human work. Always, we have claimed, was using a robot a little like cheating?

Bill Whitaker: If you have a robot doing 99 percent of the work, where is the artist?

GiaAComo Masses: In the idea. As the machine program is a work of art because it is an artistic approach. You need to have a school-off for the machine program in the way you want.

Massar says Michelangelo-as the other decose of an employees of an employees that worked anonymous behind the scenes. Now, it’s the robot ‘back. But not every artist wants to admit they have a robot in the pay. I am home we can not be moving, commented by third-threshold artists that insist their identities are secret.

Bill Whitaker: Why is it?

Massar gaizomo: I think they are afraid. Why do most people if you ask a direct question, “you like this artwork is made from a robot, yes or no?” “Nine daci tells.

Bill Whitaker: Do you think people thought “Robot does all work?”

GiaAComo Masses: Yes. But does not make your idea weaker or stronger. If your idea is bad, you can do it with a robot or doing the hand, still the final artwork will be bad. But if your idea is good, if you do with a robot or not, it will always be nice.

Ma Cuscan Artist Michael Monfions said a human touch can coax the divine from a stone … and this feels like this:

Monfrons did not meet, Michelangelo would never have to use a robot, and there could be – and he says, he was talking to see the teacher’s work.

Michael Moncroni (Mongren talking in Italian / Whiteerker) of sacrilege, It told you. The scult is the passion. Robots are business.

Monfrons first taken a chisel at 7, learning trade from his father. Now those skills are on the end of the extinction.

Bill Whitaker: You said if you use a machine, become a machine.

Michael Moncroni (Mongren talking in Italian / Whitkener) Yes, because your mind is limited by technology, Told us. I am It’s just a computer program transmitted to the robot. I lose satisfaction having created a piece of art at hand.

Monfrons is not alone. The prestigious manager of the carrara is dead contains too much robot. They warn the italy heritage of Italy is at risk.

Barry x ball: There is conservative mind that wants to keep at some imagine, ancient way to approach the art that is mistaken.

Barry x Ball is a contemporary artist based on New York City. Uses a stool stone to make works that have been shown to major museums in the world. It’s a regular buyer here in carrier. These blocks go for about $ 300,000, and on a recent journey, bought a robot. Ball noticed you, came on fire to use.

Barry x ball: I feel a kind of fear that is almost as “they go our way of making us”. Not trying to do that. We try to add.

Bill Whitaker: They are meant to the criticism, that is cheating. What do you tell people who think that?

Barry x Ball: The number one do not understand the process. They think we will be the picture, and uh the rober is running out of a sculpture. We are very involved in the middle of that as man, with that creative process.

Dancing us told the robot has made the art impossible. Takes “platagelo rounds.” Was always working on it when he died.

Using an unnecessary job scan, the ball has created something new.

Instead of the crumpled face of jesus, the ball gave God’s son my male face.

Has extended the pedestal, and more.

Then the robot will work, peeling the stone until the new ball of ball. The ball has left some of the visible chill marks.

Bill Whitekaker: it’s how you want people to know that the robot was –

Barry x ball: absolutely

Bill Whitaker: – a partner in it?

Barry x Ball: It also gives up to this incredibly beautiful, that I see one time I saw a robot-Montillata surface, look at it exactly I see at Egyptian DRAPERY.

Ball told us that you employ six windows for each robot. His pity has been shown in a museum in a milane.

Carrara’s miners pull on the tons of million Marble a year from the windows. Most is intended for cooking countertops and bath. Modern artists have started shon the marble because it was too difficult to work and consumption of time. Rbotor support the robots are revived the carrara artistic of carriage making the awesome lifting.

RICHARD ERDMAN: To be honest, nobody really likes the hard hard cut. Is hard work. Run a greenhouse, wasting the thick blocks. So each one is really excited to be able to let go of that go.

Vermard Graven Armont-based artist has told us that added a robot to his team in charge about one year ago. After two two-year-old lunars in the business – it was ready to some mechanical help.

RICHARD ERDMAN: The other thing on the Robo that is advantage is that there is no mistakes. When you are the hand

Bill Whitaker: No errors?

RICHARD ERDMAN: No, you’re junk food, with a diamond palace, follow your model with compass, you can go on time out. And this is a mistake. The robo is perfectly precise.

Herdman sculptures are held by more than one hundred galleries and museums around the world. In 1983, made his / passage “passage.

A huge sculpture cut by a 700 ton block of Italian trash. I work with a living diamond, a jackhammer, and a team of poloine, took two years. Robo, ERDMAN says, I would help you.

Bill Whitaker: Looks like the robot is your colleague?

Richard Erdman: It’s not just a machine. When the arm move around, I really do. Is followed your design. It’s part of you. It’s a machine, that is next to the point. Is friendly. I love you all. There is no way around.

Bill Whitaker: Do you have robots skeptical in the beginning?

RICHARD ERDMAN: Yes, we were but one will hug. The business is so early with the Robo that the artist that does not embrace the clothes in his job, it’s really to be artist.

Erdman says, now his robo makes about half the job. Then, give a pure, to be able to the Marmu until you get to those that Diamon’s fingers can still have to arrive. At least, not yet.

For now, the sound that Michelangelo would always have ance outside. The j marbi is there for generations but we asked, how much does sound sound?

Produced by heather abbott. Field tran, Sabina Castelfranco. Producer associated, lacraft Scott. Associated bricANCos, Mary B. Campbell. Edited by Sean Kelly.