Cyborg Scooter

‘Cyborg Scooter’ is a contemplative exploration into the life and legacy of an e-scooter that was abandoned and reclaimed by the sea only to be rediscovered as a symbol of technological intrusion and environmental adaptation. Through poetic imagery and speculative storytelling, ‘Cyborg Scooter’ invites the audience to view the objects we create, use, and discard from a more-than-human perspective.

‘Cyborg Scooter’ emerged from an encounter with an e-scooter that had been dredged from the river Tejo in Lisbon adorned with the vestiges of marine life. Cátia Sá, a musician,singer producer, and poet based in Lisbon; Erica Jewell, a multidisciplinary artist also based in Lisbon; and So Kanno, a robot artist based in Berlin/Aichi were brought together by this artifact and their shared interest in its representation of the lifecycle of our technological companions, their unintended impact on natural environments, and their narratives beyond utility.

The scooter’s journey from a functional and at times controversial urban object to a marine habitat illuminates the unseen, often ignored consequences of rapid technological advancement and throwaway culture. The artists developed the project over several years and across three continents, eventually resulting in a short film in which the scooter is used to formulate questions around our transformation of the world.

Ph: Martin Bruner