THE SOMATIST, THE ENTROPIST AND THE SKEPTIC
2022/11/12
THE SOMATIST, THE ENTROPIST AND THE SKEPTIC
→ The interactive exhibition addressing the responsibility we have in the human-technology relationship
“The Somatist, The Entropist & The Skeptic,” a participatory installation combining art with science to raise awareness of our responsibility in the human-technology relationship, will be showcased to the public starting November 19 at Rezidența9 in Bucharest. The exhibition will be open until December 20.
A research and artistic production initiative by the Qolony Association, “The Somatist, The Entropist & The Skeptic” showcases artists Floriama Candea, Sabina Suru, and Cătălin Crețu, along with programmer Cristian Balaș. They explore how people react to new technologies through interactive installations utilizing commonplace technologies like machine learning algorithms, generative image and sound manipulation, computer vision, and sensors recording physiological data. The installations retrieve data (images or parameters of our physical or emotional states) and present them in unexpected ways.
Visitors are encouraged to visually and sonorously monitor their heart rate, transformed into waves or interpreted by replicas of leaves, while their gestures become frames and sound frequencies in a video work created in collaboration with an artificial intelligence algorithm.
“The Somatist, The Entropist & The Skeptic” exhibition delves into the dynamic between control and its absence, exploring our ability to influence the world, technology, nature, species, and the biases stemming from these interactions.
It prompts us to imagine ourselves not just as inhabitants of human life but as part of an ecosystem where complex fabrics of vulnerability and responsibility coexist between us and technology, between us and other species. While presenting a speculative vision of the world, it reminds us of valid reasons to be skeptical about a deeply technological future or anthropocenic absolutism. It underscores our responsibility for how we position ourselves in relation to the surrounding world and the specific narratives emerging from this relationship, as expressed by Floriama Candea.
For the installations featured in “The Somatist, The Entropist & The Skeptic” exhibition, Qolony initiated a public dialogue and participation through an event named “Art Clinical Tests” earlier this year. Artists Floriama Candea, Sabina Suru, and Cătălin Crețu tested both the theoretical premises of the project and the chosen technologies for developing artistic installations, along with gauging public involvement.
Some installations perfected after the “Art Clinical Tests” session were presented to the public from September 12 to 18 during the Simultan Festival in Timișoara. This provided another opportunity for the artists to assess interactivity, public involvement, and collect new data. A first generative video emerged from this session, and its frames were utilized to refine the machine learning algorithm presented in the final installation.
In September, Floriama Candea, Sabina Suru & Andrei Tudose took part in an interdisciplinary workshop at the National University of Music in Bucharest as part of the Erasmus+ Relay project. They collaborated with students and professors to test the interactive components of the installations
OPENING
THE SOMATIST, THE ENTROPIST AND THE SKEPTIC
→ Saturday - November 19 → 18:00
→ Rezidența9 | Bucharest (32 Ion Luca Caragiale Street).
TEAM:
ARTISTS: Floriama Candea, Sabina Suru, and Cătălin Crețu
PROGRAMMER: Cristian Balaș
RESEARCHER: Victor Diculescu.
RESEARCH PARTNER:
National Institute of Materials Physics – Romania
MEDIA PARTNERS:
BRD Scena9 Residency, SIMULTAN Festival, Atelierele Malmaison, CESI - Center of Excellence in Image Studies. Media partners: Radio Romania Cultural, Tanănana, Adevărul, Atelierul, Cultartes, Curatorial, IQAds, Mindcraft Stories, Observator Cultural, Propagarta, Psychologies, Scena 9, Spotmedia, The Institute, Zile și Nopți, Munteanu.
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
