Life Sciences Seminar: Intersections of Living and Machine Agencies in the Arts

Intersections of Living and Machine Agencies in the Arts

Dr. Carlos Castellanos
Assistant Professor
School of Interactive Games and Media, RIT

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Abstract:
For years many contemporary artists have demonstrated an interest in the relations between humans and nonhumans. This has manifested itself in explorations of a diverse set of materials, methods and contexts, many of which are normally associated with the life and computational sciences. More specifically, there has also been increasing interest by new media artists in experimenting with linkages between computational systems (often intelligent ones) and non-human living organisms. For the School of Life Sciences seminar, I will discuss work in this area, including artworks of my own. Although sometimes falling under the umbrella of biological or ecological art, I want to argue for its distinction as a unique genre, that lies at the intersection of biological art, ecological art and creative AI. Thematically, these works often examine the implications that arise from encounters between human technology and the environment, while simultaneously raising the ethical and ontological status of the organisms they deploy. They throw into high relief a recognition that matter and non-human life are not passive and inert but are lively and dynamic, with agency and lifeworlds of their own. It is also important to recognize that these works are created within a context infused with notions of art as research, art as experiment, and hybrid art-science. As such, they are part of a larger trend in the arts of increasingly hybridized practices and research agendas that necessarily require new epistemological and ontological models for their analysis, critique and understanding. In essence these artistic practices engage with science while simultaneously challenging its prevailing ontology. I will conclude my presentation with some implications and points of discussion for the development of an alternative art-science formation that opens up possibilities for new zones of negotiation and reciprocity between humans, nonhumans and intelligent machines as well as a reexamination of contemporary artistic practices and those of the life sciences can hang together.

Speaker Bio:
Carlos Castellanos is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher with a wide array of interests such as cybernetics, ecology, embodiment, phenomenology, artificial intelligence and transdisciplinary collaboration. His work bridges science, technology, education and the arts, developing a network of creative interaction with living systems, the natural environment and emerging technologies. His artworks have been exhibited at local, national and international events such as the International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA), SIGGRAPH & ZERO1 San Jose. Castellanos is Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Games and Media at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic.