Shutkevych, Julia "‘Half Natural, Half Technological. Half-and-Half Is Good.’ Towards the Nonhuman Agency in Metascapes of the Natureculture.." Master's
, Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London, 2023
Keywords/Fields of Study : Posthumanism, Inter And Transdisciiplinary Art, Interspecies Communication, Human-Nonhuman Assemblages, Human-Nonhuman relations, NatureCultures, More-than-Human and Multispecies Studies
Abstract: ‘THERE ARE, HOWEVER, PLENTY OF NON-HUMAN ‘CREATURES LIKE US’
LIVING ALL AROUND US ON OUR SHARED EARTH.'
– Lynne Sharpe, Creatures Like Us (2005)
In the realm of our shared Earth, inhabited not only by humans but by myriad non-human entities, questions of agency, boundaries between the living and non-living, and the measurement of agency beyond self-consciousness form the foundation of this essay. The exploration encompasses three key dimensions:
1) the role of nonhumans in the Natureculture, drawing from posthuman and ecological studies;
2) reshaping our relationship with the discarded and nonhuman, transcending the Anthropocene's Mechascape; and
3) understanding the implications of assembling, collaborating, and co-creating with nonhuman entities through the artistic works of Nam June Paik and Otobong Nkanga.
Amidst the urgency of climate change (or, perhaps, crisis ), the nonhuman agency has emerged as a focal point in interdisciplinary research, spanning science and technology studies, philosophy, and the arts. Influenced by seminal works like Donna Haraway’s ‘Companion Species Manifesto’ (2003) and the evolution of the ‘Sympoietic Chthulucene’, (2016) the discourse has shifted towards solidarity with nonhumans. Concepts such as ‘actors’ in Braidotti’s Posthumanities (2016) and ‘nonhuman people’ in Timothy Morton’s writings notably in ‘Humankind: Solidarity with Nonhuman People’ (2019) underscore this transition. The essay introduces the term ‘Metascapes,’ inspired by Harrington's ‘robot-related landscape,’ (2023) and integrates ‘cognitive assemblage’ (Hayles, 2017) as a practice engaging with various entities and communities in the ecosphere.
This essay expands perspectives on more-than-human agency, envisioning socio-ecological futures through the exploration of discarded and nonhuman entities. Focusing on Nam June Paik’s (1932-2006) pioneering works like ‘Global Groove’ (1973) and ‘TV Garden,’ (2000) the essay highlights Paik's reconstitution of television as an artistic medium. Paik’s artistic television reconstitution underscores the role of early discarded technology in cognitive assemblage. This exploration gains contemporary relevance in the context of Natureculture and the escalating role of nonhuman agency. Parallelly, Otobong Nkanga, a visual artist, probes the relationship between people and land through the lens of Earth's resource consumption. The paper scrutinises how discards are explored materially and conceptually within the broader landscape through the evolving practices of both artists. The essay develops a methodology of' careful coexistence' when working with discarded objects based on the author's research-based fieldwork and prior studies on digital listening and environmental sensing technology. It reflects on the author's artistic practice of assemblage and new media art with ecological concerns. The narrative concludes by outlining plans for continued fieldwork and practical explorations, emphasizing the reintegration of the discarded into ‘Metascapes’ throughout Unit 3.
Department: MA Art & Science, Fine Art
, Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London
Advisor(s): Francisco Gallardo
