2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Investigation on wetware art in the post-digital age
| Project/Area Number |
18K00203
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| Research Institution | Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences |
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Principal Investigator |
カストロ ホアン・マヌエル 情報科学芸術大学院大学, メディア表現研究科, 准教授 (60759794)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
久保田 晃弘 多摩美術大学, 美術学部, 教授 (70192565)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | Media Art / Wetware / Material Agency / Formamide / Alien life / 地球外有機物 / マテリアル・エージェンシー / マイクロパフォーマティビティ |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The third phase of this investigation was focused on the dissemination of knowledge and reflection on wetware art. Methods to develop this area included elaboration of educational materials and events to make this investigation known to the general public; in particular, to art, design, and life sciences students at Japanese universities.
The outcomes generated during this period include the development of an exhibition on art, chemistry and astrobiology at Tama Art University; participation in an international exhibition about space exploration, technology and alien life in Tokyo; an essay about media art and astrobiology; research collaboration with Dr. Taro Toyota (The University of Tokyo) and international research collaboration with media theorists Dr. Jens Hauser (University of Copenhagen).
In December, we organized an exhibition on art, chemistry and astrobiology at the Art-Theque gallery of Tama Art University. During this exhibition visitors were able to watch and experience a waterless, miniature environment with pools of liquid formamide (mini-planet)as well as the physical transformation and dynamic behavior of alien material aggregations in real time.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on our investigation in 2020. Various public events in Europe and Asia (exhibitions, conferences and symposia) in which we were already invited or were planning to participate were closed, cancelled, postponed or moved to future dates. For instance, our participation in an exhibition and symposium on “Microperformativity” to be held at Ars Electronica in Austria has been postponed indefinitely. On the other hand, our experiments in different laboratories in Japan were also cancelled due to the pandemic. For these reasons, it was difficult to proceed with our investigation as planned. However, during this research period, we were able to 1) elaborate a new vocabulary to describe and analyze the current use and creation of wetware in media art; 2) demonstrate the future impact of wetware upon creative and design practices; and 3) disseminate knowledge on the intersection of art, chemistry and astrobiology in the public domain.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
During the final phase of this investigation we want to continue to actively spread knowledge, understanding and reflection on wetware art. Practical approaches to advance this phase focus on the elaboration of platforms (website and exhibition) and educational material (publications, videos).
The objectives of this phase are 1) to disseminate information on the intersection of art, chemistry, synthetic biology and astrobiology within the public domain; 2) to organize and develop events (exhibitions) that could give rise to new aesthetics and conceptual frameworks by challenging the paradigms of ‘creation’, ‘mimesis’ and ‘agency’; and 3) to demonstrate the future impact of wetware upon creative and design practices.
Practical methods to develop this area involve regular discussion on media art, bio art, wetware, material agency and microperformativity with Dr. Jens Hauser (University of Copenhagen) and continuous collaboration with the Toyota Group at the University of Tokyo.
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| Causes of Carryover |
During this research period it was not possible to achieve our objectives due to all the challenges and impediments posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we are planning to use this sum in 2021 to make public the results of this investigation.
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Research Products
(4 results)
