LASER Talks in Jerusalem. Generative Art: Pushing Boundaries The INEMEA Association, in collaboration with CYLAND, is organizing a discussion on the current state and future of generative art, featuring a diverse range of works that illustrate the interplay between human creativity and algorithms, thereby expanding our understanding of this field and its potential impact.
Chaired by: Galina Bleikh
Moderated by: Daria Kesler
EVENT INFO
When: Thursday, September 26, 2024, 7 pm (UTC +3). Find your timezone here
Where: Hybrid event Online (the Zoom meeting) + “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
Our talk explores the evolving landscape and future prospects of generative art, focusing on the intricate interplay between human creativity and mathematical algorithms. We will showcase works that approach this field from diverse and unexpected angles. By delving into these innovative perspectives, we aim to deepen our understanding of generative art's potential to reshape our world and push the boundaries of artistic expression.
Nimrod Astarhan In his 'Generative Elemental' talk, will shift the focus from screens to reconnect generative art with its material environment. He will explore a definition of generative art rooted in the interaction of energy flows, where Earth’s energies not only fuel, drive, and enable but also interface with, activate, and are activated by digital media technologies. Through recent projects and artworks, this talk will reveal how generative art can deepen our understanding of computation, our lived environment, and ourselves.
Lilia Chak will present her “Piyut Coding” project, which uses generative art to reinterpret ancient Hebrew poetry with a modern twist. This innovative project transforms traditional roles and ideas through a new “coded” lens. The computer code behaves like a living organism, changing the animation and video structure with each playback, while the “live” voice and music remain constant. This approach challenges established perceptions.
Lior Ben-Gai will present his PhD research project “Laboratory of Babel — Explorations of Emergent Virtual Structures.” The project introduces a new computational framework for exploring and studying of Cellular Automata algorithms.
LASER Talks program short summary
– Galina Bleikh. Introduction.
– Daria Kesler. Presentation of the speakers.
– Nimrod Astarhan. “Generative Elemental” talk.
– Lilia Chak. Presentation of the “Piyut Coding” generative art project.
– Lior Ben-Gai.
Chair:
Galina Bleikh (Israel)
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 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
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:
Nimrod Astarhan (Germany)
Nimrod Astarhan is an artist, technologist, and educator. Working in sculpture and digital media, exhibited and initiated group projects in Europe, the US, and even on the International Space Station. Recent showings include the Gwangju Bienniale Pavilion Project, Ars Electronica, the Ammerman Center Biennial Symposium on Arts & Technology, Die Digitale Düsseldorf, and xCoAx in Graz, Austria. Last year, they received grants and awards from the Municipal Art League of Chicago and the Arts, Science + Culture Initiative at the University of Chicago, among others. Nimrod holds an MFA in Art and Technology Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They have taught digital art, coding, hardware, and critical theory at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, China Academy of Art, and Shenkar College of Engineering Art, and Design.
nimrodastarhan.com
Llila Chak (Israel)
Lilia Chak is an artist, designer and science-art researcher. She works in new media art, such as bio-art, science-art, AI art, generative art, video art, installations, photography, conceptual art, net art, etc. In 2022, Lilia Chak defended her PhD thesis at the Sorbonne’s Art & Science Department (Paris). She is the author of the book Contemporary Practices in Bio-art: When a Tree Becomes an Artwork, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2023. Lilia Chak took part in Science-art exhibitions such as: Museo Orto Botanico, Italy (2022); Ars Electronica, Linz (2020); BOZAR, Brussels (2020); Matsudo International Science Art Festival, Tokyo (2020); FEFU Art Museum, Vladivostok (2020); Negev Museum of Art, Beer-Sheva (2019), etc. Her work has been presented internationally through exhibitions, articles and lectures.
Lior Ben-Gai, PhD candidate
(Israel)
Lior Ben-Gai is a computational designer and lecturer, specializing in custom interactive software for live performances, installations and web applications. Lior is a PhD candidate (submitted) and a former lecturer at the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths University of London. His work explores the vast space of emergent virtual structures in the context of computational arts and artificial life.
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