Robotic arms in Italy’s Carrara quarries carve complex marble sculptures from digital designs, taking on as much as 99% of the carving, says developer Giacomo Massari. The process leaves skilled workers to refine the work and raises questions about artistic authorship.
Italian companies LITIX and ROBOTOR are developing the technology. Software converts a digital image into a 3D file and generates toolpaths for the robot. The companies say the system could make marble sculpture more accessible, safer and less physically demanding.
Artist Davide Quayola uses algorithms and robotic machines in his practice, describing the robot as an extension of his artistic gesture rather than an independent creator. He says he and his studio program the machine’s movements, while the artist decides how it operates and what the finished work is intended to become.
