Titan at the Bullring

Thousands flocked to Birmingham's Bullring to witness the phenomenon that is Titan the Robot and Hello Digital. Titan entertained crowds with his witty patter, realistic mobility and uncannily realistic impressions of Louis Armstrong.

It was, of course, all done for our fantastic Hello Digital festival and making sure as many people as possible heard about the free municipal event. Throngs of people gathered around the 8 foot giant as it charmed the crowd like a goucho at a singles night, and hit the shops like a robotic Winona Ryder. The highlight for me was definately Titan singing ‘Lady in Red’ to a manikin in a red dress.

Still some people were less impressed; I was stopped by a midly vexed punter who asked me, in the manner of a spoilt child, ‘why can’t he dance’. This is 2008 after all, and we are living in the age of ‘on demand’ technology, and completely sympathise with the young lady. The thought that all the robot could do was walk, talk, sing, joke, conduct a light opera and give a physiology class isn’t really good enough, and I have sent her a cheque for mental damages and strong letter to the makers of Titan.
Hello Digital is 23-26 October at Millenium Point.