NOTES: This was first cancelled on Tuesday and then rescheduled to Thursday Oct 19, starting at 18:30
We present an evening delving into two realms of sensory exploration: one centered around a dialogue between a physical and virtual body, the other steeped in auditory experience. Both challenge the audience to delve into embodied perception. This poses compelling questions: How is our understanding of sensory perception and embodiment evolving in an era suffused with artificial intelligence? And is it possible that AI, rather than distancing us from our own sensory experiences, could deepen our connection to them?
BREATHLESS
Performance by Mona Hedayati
Breathless is a sound performance developed using machine learning for sound generation based on frequent somatic marker data (biosensing and audio recording libraries) collected from the artist's body during watching videos of the latest widespread protests in Iran. These libraries were then used as the basis for a sound design that is modulated using live sensor data towards a performance that aims to showcase the affective frequencies of the artist during this episode.
Flesh to Foliage: a Technological Requiem
An AI performance created by Madina Mahomedova [UA], Alexandra Fraser [EN], Nika de La Loncha [DE], Myrthe Bokelmann [NL], Gizem Karaosmanoğlu [TR], Frederik De Bleser and Lieven Menschaert.
In this project, we explore the cyber feminist realm — an artistic, theoretical and cultural movement that explores the intersections of technology, gender and identity — by creating nature-inspired body extensions. Female-looking bodies are blended with elements from nature, such as wilting plants and flowers. This creates a new view of the human body as a hybrid entity, a mix of organic and synthetic material. A virtual dancer created from these extended bodies, and trained using artificial intelligence, converses with a physical dancer. Both share a common heritage, mirroring each other's movements. But who is controlling whom?
After the performances there's a drink, as a way of both opening this time-based AI exhibition, and to close off the presentation day with the PhD researchers (see here).