LASER Talks in Jerusalem. Artist and AI: Competition? Replacement? Assistance? Co-authorship? Synergy?
The conversation, initiated by the INEMEA Association, brings together artists, poets, and cultural theorists to discuss the role of artists in facing the challenges posed by AI as a new subject and creator of art.
Chaired by: Galina Bleikh
Moderated by: Daria Kesler
EVENT INFO
When: Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 1 pm (UTC +3). Find your timezone here
Where: Hybrid event Online (the Zoom meeting with the speaker from the USA) + “The President Hotel” Art Center, Ahad Ha-Am str. 3, Jerusalem, Israel.
Access Info: You can join our meeting online. Please register, and we will send you a Zoom link.
Website: https://www.inemea.org
In the era of rapid AI development, artists have a unique chance to rethink and redefine their roles and methods. Whether they view AI as a competitor, assistant, co-author, or synergistic partner, it is crucial to explore and adapt to new technologies while staying true to their artistic vision and human experience.
Kirill Azernyi and Eugeny Nikitin will present their collaborative project "Whispered Commands" which was designed as a textual/visual dialogue where voice recordings and AI-generated images both play major roles. The project's focus is on how human agency and artistic communication emerge through these different media.
Galina Bleikh will discuss her project "The Tumbleweed Cities", created in collaboration with AI. The project's name serves as a metaphor for artificial digital cities generated by the world of illusions, disconnected from geographical, political, and socio-cultural contexts. These digital nomads, with AI-created landscapes, resemble real, recognizable cities yet remain unreal. As internet surfers and digital nomads, we inhabit these Tumbleweed Cities, drifting freely in the digital realm like tumbling bubbles with individual coordinate axes.
Dr. Lev Manovich will discuss selected ideas from his new book “Artificial Aesthetics: Generative AI, Art and Visual Media”. The book analyzes generative media using ideas from history of art and media, psychology and philosophy of art, and digital culture.
LASER Talks program short summary
– Galina Bleikh. Introduction.
– Daria Kesler. Presentation of the speakers.
– Eugeny Nikitin and Kirill Azernyi. Presentation of the project "Whispered Commands".
– Galina Bleikh. Presentation of the project "Tumbleweed cities”.
– Dr. Lev Manovich. Selected ideas from his new book “Artificial Aesthetics: Generative AI, Art and Visual Media”.
Moderator: Daria Kesler (Israel)
Cross-disciplinary researcher and artist. Works with human and machine-generated texts, sounds, documentaries, scents, and video art. Daria is interested in using modern technologies and science to spread empathy towards all species. She wants to explore new ways of co-living between technology, human, plants, and animals. Education: Master of Art&Science (Inovice), ITMO, Russia, Major studies in Hybrid (Technological and Bio) Art.
SPEAKERS BIOS:
Kirill Azerniy (Israel)
Kirill Azernyi is a writer, poet, translator, and publisher. He has been writing fiction since 2005; his stories and short stories have been published in literary magazines Novyi Mir, Ural, Flagi, Artikulatsia, Gone Lawn, Flatbush Review, and The Minute Review. Kirill Azernyi has published two books of prose The Present (2011) and A Doomsday Man (2015). He is the publisher of the samizdat magazine Zdes (2015 - 2020), dedicated to contemporary experimental prose, poetry, and essays. He has participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa (USA, 2015), the IX St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum (Russia, 2021), and the SlovoNova Free Culture Forum (Israel, 2023).
Eugeny Nikitin (Israel)
Evgeny Nikitin is a multi-faceted artist known for his work in poetry, prose, translation, criticism, and AI artistry. His literary prowess has been showcased in renowned magazines like "Novy Mir", "Vozdukh", and "ROAR", and he has published four books of poetry and two collections of stories. He has earned spots on the longlists for the "Debut", "NOS", and "Poetry" awards. Aside from his literary work, Nikitin participated in the 53rd Venice Art Biennale (2009) as part of the project "Making Words" and has performed at Actionfield Codra (2009) and Thessaloniki Biennale (2010). He is the founder of "Metajournal" – an online platform of contemporary poetry.
Galina Bleikh (Israel)
Galina Bleikh is a multidisciplinary artist. Her creative expertise spans a rich spectrum of artistic domains, encompassing AI, 3D modeling, AR and VR, bio-art, generative art, and more. At the heart of her artistic pursuit lies a fascination with the profound synergy between the emerging artificial reality and its transformative interaction with human experience through art. Galina's creative endeavors extend to collaborative projects, notably in partnership with Elena Serebryakova since 2011. Together, these two artists have created the visionary concept of their unique creative approach “The Hybrid Neural Network Art” (http://hnn-art.com). Galina graduated from the Stieglitz St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Industry (MA). Since 1993, lives in Jerusalem. Galina is a co-founder of the INEMEA Association for Art, Culture, and Education and the INEMEA Jerusalem Art & Science lab. Since 2024, Galina has become a host of Leonardo ISAST Laser Talks Jerusalem. Galina takes part in many exhibitions and conferences. Among them: Jerusalem Biennale (curator and participating artist, 2023–2024), ArtPlatform-On, South Korea (2022), The CICA Museum of Modern Art, South Korea (group and solo, 2021), NordArt, Germany (2019), Haifa Museum of Art, Israel (2018), LA Art Show USA (2013), Artco France Gallery, Paris (solo, 2012), Art Asia Miami (2011), etc.
bleikh.art
Dr. Lev Manovich (USA)
Dr. Lev Manovich is an artist, writer, and one of the most influential theorists of digital culture worldwide. He is currently a Presidential Professor of Computer Science at the City University of New York's Graduate Center and the Director of the Cultural Analytics Lab. After studying painting, architecture, and filmmaking, Manovich began using computers to create digital art in 1984. He has played a key role in creating four new research fields: new media studies (1991-), software studies (2001-), cultural analytics (2007-) and AI aesthetics (2017-). Since 1991, he has published 190 articles that have been translated into 35 different languages and reprinted over 800 times. He authored and edited 16 books, including Artificial Aesthetics, Cultural Analytics, Instagram and Contemporary Image, Software Takes Command, and The Language of New Media, which has been called "the most provocative and comprehensive media history since Marshall McLuhan." His projects have been exhibited in 14 solo and 122 international group exhibitions at many prestigious institutions, such as the Institute of Contemporary Art (London), the Centre Pompidou, The Shanghai Biennale, and The ZKM | Center for Art and Media.
http://manovich.net
INEMEA (Israel / International New Media Art) is a Jerusalem nonprofit association in Art, Culture, and Education, founded in 2023 brings together Israeli and International artists, scientists, thinkers, and technologists. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building, INEMEA encourages contributions to the cultural environment of Israel as well as international relations and contacts with organizations sharing a similar mission. Despite its short existence, INEMEA has carried out about 14 projects in collaboration with the Jerusalem Biennale, and international partners from the Republic of Korea (Art Platform On), USA (Cyland), and Brussels (Adem Lab). On December 21, 2023, was invited to participate in the Laser Talks Brussels. The association is the founder of Art & Science INEMEA Lab.
CYLAND is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by independent artists and curators. CYLAND is promoting the emergence of new forms of art and high technology interactions, developing professional connections between artists, curators, engineers and programmers around the world.
The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. @lasertalks
Jerusalem,
Israel