Girltron digital images, by Kirsty Boyle, provocatively mix doll parts and transformer-style toys to create a new species. It’s a study of robots as subjects of culture, and of the perceptions people have of machines; with particular emphasis on how we personalise technology, and how these interactions make us feel.

Given that technology is usually associated with men, Boyle’s reconfiguration of “boys” and “girls” toys re-affirms the place of girls and women in the realm of electronics.

Robotics experts wonder whether robots should be lifelike or cartoonish in appearance. As studies have shown, robots that are too lifelike might frighten us, due to their “uncanny” resemblance. We prefer harmless-looking characters which pose no threat to our sense of self. The Girltron series offers a playful commentary on these debates and shows us a way of seeing robots: as playthings, companions and objects of startling beauty.

Last year, Boyle launched the only online English language archive available about the Karakuri Ningyo tradition.