Theme Exhibition

!Cartesian Shell

Maja Smrekar (SI), Jonas Jørgensen (DK)

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Linz, In Kepler's Gardens

Im Jahr 2020 diente die !brute_force-Installation als Bühne, auf die Smrekar und ihre hündischen Mitstreiter klettern konnten, während Algorithmen einer künstlichen Intelligenz ihre Atmung, Körpertemperatur und Herzschlag analysierten. Die Daten wurden in einer Cloud gesammelt und 2021 als Grundlage für die Entwicklung eines weichen Roboters mit netzverstärktem Silikon verwendet, der sich mithilfe von Druckluft von einer flachen 2D-Oberfläche in sich ständig verändernde dreidimensionale organische, abstrakte Formen morpht und verformt. Sein dynamisches Bewegungsverhalten reaktiviert räumlich-zeitliche Muster, die aus der verschränkten, aber isolierten menschlichen bis nicht-menschlichen kollaborativen Performance entstehen. Anstatt die Abstraktion des Kapitals zu imitieren, das alles Leben antreibt – durch Arbeit und Kraft – direkt in (aufgeblasene) Energie umgewandelt wird, etabliert die sich kreuzende Mensch-Hund-AI-Roboter-Konstellation einen Bezugsrahmen, der den verteilten, vernetzten und ergebnisoffenen Charakter der Evolution geltend macht, indem er Segregation in Autonomie verwandelt und emergente Technologien und ihre Ziele umgeht.

Maja Smrekar’s (SI) work has been established in the international art and science milieu. Her practice has allowed her to lead strong collaborations in developing cross-conceptual productions that include installations, performances, site specific art, videos, drawings, workshops, lectures, talks and texts. Among other awards, she received the 2017 Prix Ars Electronica – Golden Nica Award in Hybrid Arts.
More: www.majasmrekar.org

Jonas Jørgensen (DK): Jonas Jørgensen (b. 1981) is assistant professor at the Center for Soft Robotics at the Biorobotics section of the University of Southern Denmark. Jonas was originally trained as a physicist and an art historian at Copenhagen University and Columbia University (New York). He received his PhD degree at the IT University of Copenhagen as a member of the Robotics Evolution and Art Lab (REAL). His current research and practice spans the fields of technical soft robotics research, practice-based artistic research, media art history, and human-robot interaction. Jonas has given lectures, presented papers, and organized workshops at several international conferences and festivals including MediaArtHistories, ICRA (International Conference on Robotics and Automation), HRI (ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction), ISEA, Pixelache, MOCO (Movement Computing), and Politics of the Machines (POM). His writings have appeared in media art anthologies, artist monographs, exhibition catalogues, peer reviewed academic journals and conference proceedings. Jonas’ collaborative art projects have been exhibited internationally at institutions including Chronus Art Center (Shanghai, China), Science Gallery Dublin, Forum Box (Helsinki, Finland), Kunsthal Grenland (Porsgrunn, Norway), and Nikolaj Kunsthal (Copenhagen, Denmark).

Credits

Soft robotics design and fabrication assistance: Mads Bering Christiansen

Electronics design: Jeppe Rahbæk Mosgaard

Microcontroller and algorithm programming: Ines Benomar

Technical solutions and consulting: Miloš Vujković

The Work was realised within the framework of the STUDIOTOPIA program at Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG with support of the Creative Europe Culture Programme of the European Union, SDU Biorobotics, The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.

In collaboration with RPS Company, Ljubljana (SI)