TA2016

Technoetic Arts Exhibition: Syncretic Transitions

Roy Ascott Studio, DeTao Masters Academy & Shanghai Institute of the Visual Arts

Freshmen and sophomore works of the course BA in Technoetic Arts were exhibited under the theme “Syncretic Transitions“. The exhibition focuses on creative practices that merge science and technology with artistic vision. The works include non-linear narratives (stories in 2D and 3D virtual spaces), projection mapping visualizations, glitched electronic systems, holographic performances, Virtual Reality systems, as well as robotic organisms and self-organised systems.

Exhibition curated by Stavros Didakis. The course is led by Roy Ascott.

Here follows an analytical description of the exhibition projects:

READY, AIM, CHANGE!

READY, AIM, CHANGE! is a project that challenged students to identify, understand and interpret the changes in different kinds of human behaviors and interactions. In these project, students researched and designed calibrators, that is, software and/or hardware mechanisms that control the user’s behavior and identity relatively to the perceived changes in the environment and in alternative contexts.

Cybernetic Orchestra

Roy Ascott defines cybernetics as the art of interaction in dynamic networks. In this audiovisual project, students used their own bodies as percussion instruments to trigger systematic interactions between themselves, various individual response systems, and found objects. The final outcome is projected on a custom-made holographic display.

Artificial Ecology

Six kinetic sculptures/robots/organisms have been developed to collectively create a special ecological system. Each organism uses a sensor to sense a particular property of the environment (light intensity, chemical substances, sound volume, or spatial proximities), and according to the information extracted from the surrounding space it expresses individualised behavioural aspects using movements and media.

A wireless communication system has been implemented into this ecology to allow each robot send its sensor data to other members, which affects and calibrates their actions and behaviours. The performative nature of the ecology demonstrates the collective emergence that is defined by the perception and calibrated behaviours of its sculptures/robots/organisms.

Non-Linear Structures

A story normally follows a linear path; from a beginning to an end. In this project, stories are non-linear, chaotic, and interactive, waiting for visitors’ participation to construct and unfold multiple narratives. The methods of interaction vary as you may find EEG sensors, gesture controllers, motion capturing, and 3-D navigators that assist in the exploration of the underlying structure.

Augmented Sculpture

This project combines the construction of physical models with projection mapping – a technique that allows image, videos and animations to be displayed on complex surfaces. Projection mapping is widely applied in theatre stage and live performances; meanwhile here it becomes a tool in the palette of artistic expression. By applying augmentation, we experience three-dimensional structures to transform into living things. In these four works students were encouraged to create illusional experiences, while at the same time experiment with animation, time, and space.

System Glitch

Glitch is a fault in the system, difficult to troubleshoot, which creates unexpected and noisy artefacts that demonstrate something unappealing, abnormal, and often unaccepted. However, within the domains of digital and media art, strategies of taming and exploring glitch as a creative medium become necessary, as by breaking systems, files, and formats unimaginable possibilities can be unleashed. In this work, students attempt to explore life, society, art, science, and technology through the development of photographic concepts that materialise through glithing processes in 2, 3 and 4 dimensions. The project consists of three parts: a glitched picture with the explanation of each student’s concept, a 3D augmented sculpture, and an abstract installation that consists of custom-made LED panels.

The Age of the Interface

The digital interface is the visual translation between the logic of humans and the logic of the computational machines. This project attempts to demonstrate the display of interfaces that are completely controlled by the machines without the need of humans; automated actions of an interconnected system that begins to emerge from a digital space to a mesh of physical properties.

Anatomy of Things (AoT)

As objects of everyday life originated in different fields with programmed functions are now being wired wirelessly, the emerging interface technology are seaming the bits and parts into an Internet of Things (IoT). Everything becomes a node of an ever-expanding fluidic network, with the form, identity, composition and function of each item reconstructing in real-time. This anatomy session inspects some possible ways of how things could be dissected, analyzed in this new reality, and refabricated in an alternative process.

Narratives

Narrative courses aim to approach new features and new requirements in an interactive environment by understanding the process of the traditional narration. The course requires students to understand the differences between narrative and narration. After analyzing the specific narrative characteristics about interactive game, interactive drama, interactive novels and interactive films, students are learning to observe their surrounding environment in developing their own narrative way.

Participating Students:

(Year 2): 林坊 Lin Fang，金依 Jin Yi，周佳婕 Zhou JiaJie，陈之凡 Chen ZhiFan，钮佳梅 Niu JiaMei，叶浩然 Ye HaoRan，文佳伟 Wen JiaWei，苏天悦 Su TianYue，倪芸芸 Ni YunYun，周美含 Zhou MeiHan，沈毅超 Shen YiChao，林应印 Lin YingYin，刘定路 Liu DingLu，顾星榆 Gu XingYu，杨帅 Yang Shuai，原钰明 Yuan YuMing，王毅超 Wang YiChao，陈蕴乐 Chen YunLe.

(Year 1): 陆祎 Lu Yi，包喜航 Bao XiHang，郑正雄 Zheng ZhengXiong，张好男 Zhang HaoNan，刘金樱 Liu JinYing，厉嘉琪 Li JiaQi，丛浩天 Cong HaoTian，智轩 Zhi Xuan，孙嘉懿 Sun JiaYi，唐人 Tang Ren，张思怡 Zhang SiYi，周意祺 Zhou YiQi，郦颖华 Li YingHua，杜晓怡 Du XiaoYi，沈劢逻 Shen MaiLuo，沈钧 Shen Jun，李骏 Li Jun，林婷 Lin Ting，薛燕蓉 Xue YanRong，陈子立 Chen ZiLi，汤幸怡 Tang XinYi，张添乐 Zhang TianLe.

Student Supervision / Support:

• Taqi Shaheen (lecturer)
• Taegyun Kim (lecturer)
• Mujin (lecturer)
• Haoshin Chang (lecturer)
• Shiye Teng (lecturer)

Location: Hall 2, 1st Floor, DeTao Masters Academy CCIC Bldg., at Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, SIVA, Songjiang, Shanghai, China

Date: 4-20 July 2016