Exhibition at UNAM brings together 33 robots made with garbage

Thousands of pieces of plastic, wood and copper make up Broken Roboto, creator of the Gomi Legionan exhibition presented in the National Biodiversity Pavilion of the Institute of Biology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and that transforms waste materials into robots as an artistic reflection on consumption, garbage and recycling.

The collection is made up of 33 pieces, the largest measuring 50 centimeters and the smallest just 10. All are displayed inside a polychrome dome and each robot has an ID that tells its history, powers and function within the legion.

In interview with The Day, César Fernández de la Reguera Martín, artist and eco-designer, states that the exhibition is aimed at children and adolescents “because they are the future of the planet”, although he points out that the exhibition has been well received by the general public.

“Children identify the elements very well when they see them and say: ‘look, this is a piece of gum paper’. From there they come up with the idea of ​​recycling those materials,” says the creator.

Army to combat pollution

The exhibition is inspired by a futuristic story, written by De la Reguera Martín, set in the year 2151. The narrative describes a planet covered in garbage, where an unknown force uses the waste to give rise to Indoor robotleader of the Gomi environmental legion (Japanese word for garbage), an army of robots that travels to the past to combat pollution.

The exhibition includes a workshop for children, who will be able to assemble a wooden robot, paint it, glue scraps to it, give it a name, powers and a mission. In addition, they will be able to share a photograph on the official exhibition page, thus joining the Gomi legion.

“The idea is that every person who makes a robot or carries out some activity in favor of ecology joins the legion,” says the creator. Participants will be able to take the armed robot home during the visit.

During the tour, attendees will also be able to see recycled Tetra Pak panels accompanied by educational texts on waste separation and the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. Likewise, four talks will be held (one per month) on actions to reduce environmental impact.

Manga as inspiration

The artist says that the choice of the robot as the central figure of the exhibition arose from his fondness for Astroboy“a manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka”, but also for its symbolic power. “It is a very strong visual element: humans identify with figures that have hands, legs, heads, that reinforces empathy,” he explains.

Graduated from the School of Industrial Design of the Faculty of Architecture of the UNAM, he remembers that since his student days he began to connect with recycling, art and the use of waste. The collective exhibition Don’t waste, educatewas one of his first experiences in this area.

Later, during a year-long academic exchange in Japan, he studied plastics and learned about a recycling program with very strict rules. Already in the workplace – in airports, UNAM and his own office – he was always inclined towards projects related to the use of plastics and the reuse of materials.

In 2009 he returned to the exhibition circuit with The gifts of the seaa collection of 30 fish and birds built with marine waste collected on the beaches of Cancun, which was exhibited at the Mexican embassy in Costa Rica and had an excellent reception.

During the pandemic, he began collecting objects “just because they seemed interesting to me,” until, at the end of the health contingency, he began to build the first robots in his home workshop, in Naucalpan, state of Mexico, which today make up the collection.

Indoor robot It was initially presented at the Museum of Ancient Mexican Toys and at Naucalli Park, in Naucalpan.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until April 17 at the National Biodiversity Pavilion (Circuit of the University Cultural Center at CU).

“The main difference between this exhibition and the previous ones is that it is now presented after the announcement by the capital authorities about the separation of waste. That is very positive because it will help reflect on the importance of recycling,” concludes the creator.