Filmmaking Bot, 2018

Jan Bot was EYE Filmmuseum’s first robot employee. Jan Bot was a computer program that worked day and night to create experimental films that match early twentieth century footage with current trending events. 




At Jan Bot’s website, www.jan.bot, it was possible to watch in real-time what Jan Bot was processing or preparing for its next movie.

The site contained its complete collection of short films made by Jan Bot as well as a special section with notes on the research carried out by Jan Bot’s creators and guest writers.

On March 31, 2023, Jan Bot was switched off. And with his passing, the more than twenty-five thousand films he generated during his lifespan were erased from his server. Only 151 pieces survived. They were saved by individual art collectors in the form of NFTs.

Read more about the death of Jan Bot in this article written by Jan Bot creator Pablo Nunez Palma. 
 

Jan Bot: bringing film heritage to the algorithmic age, is a co-production between EYE Filmmuseum and Stichting Modern Times.

Link to the site: www.jan.bot
Link to the Metalog: Metalog.

Jan Bot at MIT - Docubase: MIT

A project by Bram Loogman & Pablo Núñez Palma

Produced by
Mirka Duijn

Funded by
Creative Industries Fund
Amsterdam Fund for the Arts