Lecture: Entangled Reality

Part of the Open Codes exhibition at the Chronus Art Center, the lecture invites Boris Magrini, the curator of House of Electronic Arts Basel (HeK), to discuss a selection of works that challenges artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the algorithmic economy.

Supported by Pro Helvetia and Swissnex in China, the educational program of the exhibition – Open Codes. Connected Bots will start off on 25 Aug. with the first speaker – Boris Magrini, Curator from House of Electronic Arts Basel (HeK).

Boris Magrini will discuss a selection of works that makes use of and challenges artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithmic economy, as recently presented in the exhibition Entangled Realities on show at HeK (House of Electronic Arts Basel) that lies a specific focus on human interaction with intelligent algorithmic systems and the resulting new intertwined realities.

While framing the current artistic production associated with artificial intelligence into a larger historical perspective, Magrini proposes to consider the challenges involved in the impending coexistence between humans and machines.

Humans and machines are in constant dialogue and it is vital that we understand the conditions of our coexistence. What role will we play in shaping these new interwoven realities? Who supervises the infrastructure of computer-based networks? We have to learn to understand how these systems work as in the future it will be difficult to determine whether content or information is authentic, manipulated or completely artificial.

Sebastian Schmieg: Segmentation. Network, 2016, installation view at Chronus Art Center ©CAC, Photography: ZHONG Han

Zach Blas and Jemima Wyman: i’m here to learn so :)))))), 2017, installation view at Chronus Art Center ©CAC, Photography: ZHONG Han

About the Speaker

Boris Magrini (PhD) is curator at HeK (House of Electronic Arts Basel). He organizes exhibitions, performances and talk-series that foster transdisciplinary dialogues between the arts and the sciences. Curated shows include Future Love. Desire and Kinship in Hypernature (HeK, Basel, 2018), Hydra Project (Sonnenstube, Lugano, 2016), Grounded Visions: Artistic Research into Environmental Issues (ETH, Zurich, 2015–2016) and Mutamenti (Bellinzona, 2007). Some of his recent publications include: “Building New Paradigms – A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence and Art” in Entangled Realities (Basel: CMV 2019), “Alternative Visions: Human Futures” in Transdiscourse 2 – Turbulence and Reconstruction (Berlin: De Gruyter 2016), and “Hackteria: An Example of Neomodern Activism” (Leonardo Electronic Almanac Vol. 20, Issue 1, 2014). His book Confronting the Machine: An Enquiry into the Subversive Drives of Computer-Generated Art (Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter 2017) examines the traditional narratives relating artistic production to technology and society while offering an unconventional perspective on digital and media art.

 

Co-organized by

Established in 2013, Chronus Art Center (CAC) is China’s first nonprofit art organization dedicated to the presentation, research / creation and scholarship of media art. CAC with its exhibitions, residency-oriented fellowships, lectures and workshop programs and through its archiving and publishing initiatives, creates a multifaceted and vibrant platform for the discourse, production and dissemination of media art in a global context. CAC is positioned to advance artistic innovation and cultural awareness by critically engaging with media technologies that are transforming and reshaping contemporary experiences.

HeK (House of Electronic Arts Basel) is dedicated to digital culture and the new art forms of the information age. It is a place for creative and critical discourse on the aesthetic, socio-political and economic impact of media technologies. In addition to programming events and exhibitions on media art, HeK is working on establishing a methodology for the collection and conservation of digital art.

 

Supported by

Pro Helvetia Shanghai supports and disseminates Swiss arts and Culture in China. We promote cultural exchange, develop and nurture long-term partnerships, initiate co-productions and support residencies.

 

Swissnex in China is the Science Consulate of Switzerland for China, which builds bridges by connecting Switzerland and China in education, research and innovation. By crossing conventional boundaries, we offer a platform to foster collaboration and creativity for inspiring research and ground-breaking innovation. Swissnex is the Swiss global network connecting the dots in education, research, and innovation. Its mission is to support the outreach and active engagement of its partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talent.