Human Limitations – Limited Humanity

It is perhaps one of the most inherent traits of humanity to strive after more, to explore the unexplored, to push our own limitations over and over again – as individuals, and as society. Early on we created tools and technologies to survive and facilitate our daily life, and we have always used them to form the world we live in, sometimes with unforeseen impacts. With the powerful technologies at hand today – from bioengineering to artificial intelligence – it is more important than ever to reflect on the way we want to use them collectively. At its core, the exhibition “Human Limitations – Limited Humanity” revolves around the relationship between humanity and the environment, and our limitations therein. What socio-ethical obligations arise from our present technologies and our ever-increasing interaction with nature?

The first part, “Human Limitations,” addresses the topic on an individual level. With today’s body extensions, microchip implants or genetic editing methods like CRISPR-Cas9, we have reached a point where we can deeply adapt and alter the human body, which leaves us with the question: To what extent will we be dependent on our body enhancements in the future?

“Limited Humanity” approaches the question of societal limitations, which have been – among others – clearly exposed in light of recent issues like the debates on refugees, global warming, mass surveillance or big data: rather than challenging our sense of community, discussions on sociopolitical problems should strengthen it. Cooperation is key when tackling the complex challenges of our time, for no individual being can see all their far-reaching implications alone. Technology is, taken by itself, neither a friend nor an enemy in this world: it is what we make of it.

Beyond Death

Chenyu Zhou (CN)

This project looks at transhumanism as a quasi-religion. Although this idea might be considered extreme, some transhumanists believe firmly that technology can transfer human attributes to machines which can enhance human physical potential and even extend longevity.

Cat: Collaborating with a Neural Network

Rachel Smith (UK)

This work is a conversation between Rachel Smith (human) and cifar10_cnn.py (artificial neural network). In order to communicate successfully, they must speak the same language. The method of communication is a human/machine compromise; a hand-painted grid of pixels. The human must automate and restrict herself, the network must cope with human error and bodily forms.

Cat: Collaborating with a Neural Network

Rachel Smith (UK)

Cat: Collaborating with a Neural Network is a conversation between Rachel Smith (human) and cifar10_cnn.py (artificial neural network). In order to communicate successfully, they must speak the same language. The method of communication is a human/machine compromise; a hand-painted grid of pixels.

ECODERMIS

Alejandra Marinaro (AR)

Ecodermis is an artwork that alludes to the skin as an organ connecting the human being with his environment, as it reflects the life, memory and sensations of each individual. At the same time, the skin is also what gives man part of his identity as a species and therefore allows him to coexist and differentiate himself from others.

The Golden Age

Xintong Wang (CN)

The project aims to build a path for audiences to explore and understand empathy, both how it is designed and misused. The uncanny valley shows that to a certain extent, the more humanoid the form of a machine is, the more empathetic a human is.

Infusing Empathy in Self Driving Cars Through Anime Expressions

Yuki Moriyama (JP), Eiji Kawata (JP), Ryohei Fukushi (JP)

In collaboration with Japanese animation studio Polygon Pictures, Mercedes-Benz has designed animations of different scenarios in which autonomous vehicles could build informed trust with humans. The basic idea when designing animes is that a lot of emotion is expressed in a few strokes. The key issue that this project concerns itself with is therefore: How can these basic principles be used for intuitive communication between human and machine?

Labor

Paul Vanouse (US)

How does work smell? Labor is a dynamic, self-regulating art installation in which the smell of sweat is produced without any human effort. The body odor is artificially produced in glass bioreactors in which special human skin bacteria grow. While these bacteria metabolize simple sugars and fats, they produce smells reminiscent of human sweat. A white T-shirt in the center of the installation picks up the “scent” and stores it in its fibers. Paul Vanouse’s “sweat stain prints” shown in the exhibition, are also based on the sweaty T-shirt – the icon of wage labor, stress and exploitation: Freshly sweaty shirts were dusted with charcoal and pressed between paper under high pressure.

Modell 5

Granular Synthesis – Kurt Hentschlaeger (AT), Ulf Langheinrich (DE)

MODELL 5 is a performance or installation in which the face of Japanese performer Akemi Takeya is subject to drastic time-based interventions that create in essence a cyborg-like hybrid, between human and machine. A roller coaster dramaturgy following the “life” of the four clones on screens.

Natural History of the Enigma, Plantimal #4

Eduardo Kac (BR/US)

The central work in the Natural History of the Enigma series is a plantimal, a new lifeform the artist created and that he calls “Edunia,” a genetically engineered flower that is a hybrid of himself and Petunia. The Edunia expresses his DNA exclusively in its red veins.

Human Limitations – Limited Humanity: The Possibility of Going Beyond Borders

At the 2019 Ars Electronica Festival, artists from all over the world fill the POSTCITY bunker with media art. This year’s projects will be exploring the question of human limitations with different approaches.