The »Non-machines: Playground of Perspectives« exhibition proposes a change of perspective to encourage and facilitate re-examination of relationships between machines and »non-machines«. Rapid developments in the field of artificial intelligence are contributing to machines playing an increasingly integral role in our lives: they are capable of generating (new) content and reproducing themselves. The process engenders discord with so-called »non-machines«. Non-machines can include humans and non-humans, or beings not yet integrated into a machine network (for example, a creature developing freely in nature, or a human who is not connected to digital networks and who avoids technological modification).

At Ars Electronica, both students and lecturers will shortly be presenting installations, videos and performances exploring this discord. For instance, Amelia Eickhoff’s installation »Smell« features an analogue interface intended to make it possible to experience the person opposite exclusively from an olfactory perspective. In this way she aims to explore the socially negative connotations of human smells. Body odours and pheromones provide information about our health and convey other important information, such as reproductive potential. In her installation, the artist deliberately connects the mouth and nose with the parts of the body that have the most informative odours and are simultaneously alleged to smell »unpleasant«. The artist developed the idea for the work during the coronavirus pandemic: her own COVID illness had resulted in her almost completely losing her sense of smell.

Cosmo Schüppel’s »electro|botanic« transforms the reactions of plants into acoustic signals, essentially allowing plants to be heard. Like all organisms, house plants are very sensitive and attempt to understand their environment. In doing so, they behave like delicate antennae, both perceiving and emitting electromagnetic waves in the room. When visitors enter Schüppel’s installation, their being there changes the waves and in turn influences the reaction of the plant. The media artist records this feedback from the plant by means of an electrode and converts it into an audible signal – a sound – and makes it acoustically perceptible.

The extensive exhibition will be enriched by a programme involving live performances; this will soon be available for viewing at: ars.electronica.art/who-owns-the-truth/en/non-machines/

Artists networked with international universities whose curricula take an innovative approach to teaching media art and media culture are invited to the Campus area of Ars Electronica. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is regularly represented at the world-renowned media art festival by Prof. Ursula Damm of the »Media Environments« professorship.

About »Ars Electronica«:
Since 1979, Ars Electronica has accompanied, anticipated and analysed the digital revolution, its origins and successes as well as its aberrations. As a festival for art, technology and society, the cultural and social significance of new technical and scientific developments has always been in the foreground. This year, the event takes place under the caption »Who Owns the Truth?«

The exhibition framework was developed by the Media Environments professorship (Prof. Ursula Damm) and was already previously presented in a similar form at the »Non-machines: Playground of Perspectives« conference in July 2023 at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The project was funded by the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar Kreativfonds.

Exhibiting students and lecturers:
Lisa Albrecht, Juan Sebastian Alvarado, Isabella Lee Arturo, Passion Asasu, Felix Bonofski, Christian Doeller, Amelia Eickhoff, Klaus Fritze, Mindaugas Gapševičius, Ann Kristin Jakubek, Alexander König, Nicolas Krewer, Victor Mahecha, Victoria Mikhaylova, Gabriel S Moses, Jan Munske, Ann Katrin Müller, Martin Müller, Betül Peker, Johanna Reckewerth, Rodrigue Saad, Valeria Shakova, Mudassir Sheikh, Joel Schäfer, Cosmo Schüppel, Dahye Seo, Thai-Tai Pham, Belcim Yavuz, Quan Zhou

Ars Electronica
»Non-machines: Playground of Perspectives« in the »Campus« area
6 to 10 September 2023
ars.electronica.art/who-owns-the-truth/de/non-machines/

Venue:
POSTCITY
Bahnhofplatz 12
4020 Linz
Austria
ars.electronica.art/who-owns-the-truth/de/

Opening times:
Wednesday, 6 September to Saturday, 9 September, 10 am to 7 pm
Sunday, 10 September, 10 am to 6 pm

Tickets to »Ars Electronica« are available online at: ars.electronica.art/who-owns-the-truth/en/tickets/

Further information: non-machines.eu If you have any questions, please e-mail these to Mindaugas Gapševičius, artistic staff member in the Media Environments Department, at: mindaugas.gapsevicius[at]uni-weimar.de