Protocell Fusion is a work that investigates current practices in synthetic biology, machine learning and computational media, exploring the speculative possibilities in creating new life forms that are generated from protocell research. The installation allows the viewers to participate as lab scientists into the development of new alchemic relationships that are generated on the petri dish with the use of multiple pipets that contain multiple analogies of chemical substances. The visualization of the process that is generated by machine vision algorithms, display the realtime reactions layered with predictive patterns that demonstrate possible new life forms.
Exhibition Foreword:
Being “out of control”, is a norm in the long-standing struggle between man and the outside world. The first industrial revolution and the third information revolution, whilst driving first mechanical power and then the information torrent, have also led to the explosive growth of environmental pollution and information noise. Attempts to seek ultimate control often end in extreme loss of control. But if we were to let go of this utopian pursuit and embrace the fact that we are unable to control everything, there will be another scenario before us. From the experimental sound art of futurism, to the bio-art works utilizing living materials, to the artistic events that emphasize the process, in this “Out of Control” exhibition, artists have transformed from being an entire dominator of their masterpieces, to becoming creators of autonomous systems. They rely on systems having numerous causality networks to give birth to unexpected results. Inspect these noises, glitches, mutations, and deviations, and once again we are confronted with an “uncontrolled” scenario. We may no longer get irritated or embarrassed, and may even be able to experience the unique aesthetics of being “Out of Control”.
前言 失控，是人与外界长久角力中的常态。第一次工 业革命与第三次科技革命，在驾驭机械动力与信 息洪流的同时，也引发了环境污染与信息噪音的 爆炸式增长。力图极致的掌控，往往以极端的失 控告终。而倘若我们放下这一乌托邦式的追求， 拥抱我们无从掌控的现实，则眼前又是另一番图 景。 从颇具未来主义特点的实验声音艺术，到聚焦活 性媒介的生物艺术，抑或着眼于过程性的艺术事 件，此次“无从掌控”的参展作品中，艺术家从 不遗巨细的作品主宰者，转而成为自治系统的创 造者，他们依赖系统纷繁的因果网络，孕育出出 人意料的结果。审视这些噪音、故障、突变、歧 途，再度面对“失控”的情景，我们也许不再谈 之色变、窘态毕露，甚至从中抽离出独特的“失 控”美学。
艺术家 / Artists:
徐程, Nigel Stanford, 徐喆, 田晓磊 Benjamin Bacon, 徐维静 Rosa Menkman, Stavros Didakis, 王长存, 吕德生, 江夏然, 姜北