Thomas Peyruse

Trained as an automatic-robotics engineer at the École Centrale de Nantes, Thomas Peyruse first worked as an advanced consultant in the control of complex systems: one year on the nozzle control of telecommunications satellites and seven years on the verification of the control laws of the A350-XWB aircraft up to the first delivery.
At the same time, he discovered theatre, mime and contemporary clowning with Francis Azéma, Alexandre Bordier and Sigrid Perdulas, and took part in a number of amateur projects.
Since January 2015, he has decided to combine his two passions and conduct artistic research into the question of technologies on stage, and in particular humanoids. He works with choreographer Eric Minh Cuong Castaing’s company Shonen, with whom he stages humanoid robots, drones and body immersion devices. He has been touring as a humanoid robot pilot with the shows ‘School of Moon’ and ‘Lesson of Moon’ throughout Europe since 2016.

In 2017, he co-created the installation ‘Machine Vivante – Créature Artificelle’ with visual artist Manon Schnetzler as part of Caliban Midi, working with a large-scale robot in contact with the body.
It was during these experiments that he realised that the use of technology must always be criticised and debated, without forgetting its benefits. That’s why, in 2017, he co-founded KONEXinc with Sylvain Zwolinski and Manon Schnetzler, a company working on programming buildings to cancel out their ecological footprints. At KONEXinc, artistic research is the core value, enabling exploration while confronting the public.
Since the beginning of 2019, he has been coordinating the ‘Arts and Culture’ committee of the ‘Poppy Station’ consortium, which includes INRIA and the Ligue de l’Enseignement to promote the use of open-source technologies in education, research and the arts.