El artista en el laboratorio: una cooperación razonablemente traicionera

El títol d'aquest article utilitza la noció de col·laborador en el sentit de col·laboracionista, és a dir, de «cooperar a traïció, com ara amb la força d'ocupació enemiga al propi país». La idea del col·laborador entra immediatament en conflicte; introduiré breument maneres en les quals les col·laboracions entre art i ciència es poden considerar cooperacions a traïció, tant per als àrbitres del gust de les arts com per als de les de les ciències. En resum, suggeriré que abans no hi pugui haver un acostament, necessitem una comprensió més matisada de les divisòries que s'estableixen entre l'art dels nous mitjans, l'art contemporani majoritari i l'art científic o sciart. L'article, basat en les meves pròpies experiències com a artista que ha exposat (amb més o menys èxit) en els tres circuits, procurarà delimitar aquesta terra de ningú, aquesta divisòria. La meva intenció és explorar la naturalesa d'aquesta divisòria entre els discursos de l'art contemporani majoritari, l'art dels nous mitjans i l'art científic per a poder-la travessar més bé.The title uses collaborator in its less popular sense: "To cooperate treasonably, as with an enemy occupation force in one's country". The notion of the collaborator is immediately problematized and I will briefly introduce ways in which art-science collaborations can be seen as treasonable co-operations, by arbiters of taste from both the arts and the sciences. In brief, I will suggest that before rapprochement can take place, we need a more nuanced understanding of the gaps between art made with new media, mainstream contemporary art and sciart. My paper, drawing on my own experiences as an artist who has exhibited in all three circuits (with greater and lesser success) will seek to map this no man's land, this gap. My intention is to explore the nature of the gap between the discourses of mainstream contemporary art, new media, and sciart in order that we might better traverse it.El título de este artículo utiliza la noción de colaborador en el sentido de colaboracionista, es decir, de «cooperar a traición, como por ejemplo con la fuerza de ocupación enemiga en el propio país». La idea del colaborador entra en conflicto de inmediato, e introduciré brevemente modos en los que las colaboraciones entre arte y ciencia pueden considerarse cooperaciones a traición, tanto para los árbitros del gusto de las artes como para los de las de las ciencias. En resumen, sugeriré que antes de que se pueda producir un acercamiento, necesitamos una comprensión más matizada de las brechas que se establecen entre el arte de los nuevos medios, el arte contemporáneo mayoritario y el arte científico o sciart. El artículo, basado en mis propias experiencias como artista que ha expuesto (con mayor o menor éxito) en los tres circuitos, procurará delimitar esta tierra de nadie, esta brecha. Mi intención es explorar la naturaleza de esta brecha entre los discursos del arte contemporáneo mayoritario, el arte de los nuevos medios y el arte científico para poder atravesarla mejor

Prácticas artísticas difractivas: la informática y los complicados enredos entre el arte contemporáneo convencional y el arte de los nuevos medios

Adoptem la noció de difracció proposada per Karen Barad (2007) per reavaluar les relacions entre l'art contemporani convencional (ACC) i l'art dels nous mitjans (ANM), sobre les quals s'ha discutit durant molts anys com a part d'un debat un xic controvertit. La nostra lectura difractiva posa en relleu diferències, grans i petites però conseqüents, entre aquestes pràctiques artístiques. No suavitzarem les tensions que destaquen en anteriors debats sobre ANM i MCA, sinó que utilitzarem el terme de Barad, «embolic», per suggerir que hi ha «embolics» generatius, així com diferències productives, entre aquestes pràctiques. Ampliem el debat considerant quines diferències importen, per a qui (artistes, galeristes, científics) i com aquestes diferències emergeixen a través d'intraaccions materials i discursives. Propugnem un nou terme, «pràctiques artístiques difractives», i suggerim que aquestes pràctiques artístiques van més enllà de la bifurcació d’ANM i MCA per a reconfigurar parcialment les pràctiques entre art, informàtica i humanitats.We engage with Karen Barad’s notion of diffraction (2007) to re-evaluate the relations between mainstream contemporary art (MCA) and new media art (NMA) that have been discussed for many years as part of a somewhat contentious debate. Our diffractive reading highlights both large and small but consequential differences between these art practices. We do not smooth over the tensions highlighted in earlier discussions of NMA and MCA. Instead we use Barad’s term ‘entanglement’ to suggest that there are generative ‘entanglements’, as well as productive differences, between these practices. We extend the debate by considering which differences matter, for whom (artists, gallerists, scientists) and how these differences emerge through material-discursive intra-actions. We argue for a new term, diffractive art practices, and suggest that such art practices move beyond the bifurcation of NMA and MCA to partially reconfigure the practices between art, computation and humanities.Adoptamos la noción de difracción propuesta por Karen Barad (2007) para reevaluar las relaciones entre el arte contemporáneo convencional (ACC) y el arte de los nuevos medios (ANM), sobre las que se ha discutido durante muchos años como parte de un debate algo controvertido. Nuestra lectura difractiva pone de relieve diferencias, grandes y pequeñas pero consecuentes, entre estas prácticas artísticas. No suavizamos las tensiones puestas de relieve en anteriores debates acerca de ANM y MCA, sino que utilizamos el término de Barad, «enredo», para sugerir que existen «enredos» generativos, así como diferencias productivas, entre dichas prácticas. Ampliamos el debate considerando qué diferencias importan, para quién (artistas, galeristas, científicos) y cómo dichas diferencias emergen a través de intra-acciones materiales y discursivas. Propugnamos un nuevo término, «prácticas artísticas difractivas», y sugerimos que dichas prácticas artísticas van más allá de la bifurcación de ANM y MCA para reconfigurar parcialmente las prácticas entre arte, informática y humanidades

Model Ideas: from stem cell simulation to large-scale floating art installation

This paper discusses the role of models in the development of an interactive artwork made as the result of interdisciplinary collaboration. A variety of different types of model were used, each with different functions and status to the team

“Explorations of Structure”

Artworks by Jane Prophet

My more-than-human digital twin: embodiment, feminist AI, and the struggle for representation

Artificial intelligence is an entangled, more-than-human relational network, shaping and being shaped by the societal, cultural, and political structures in which it is embedded. This paper explores the role of artists as critical practitioners engaging with AI, to examine how AI-generated self-representations materialise identity and reinforce or counter well-known AI biases in gender, race, and embodiment. Drawing on feminist technoscience – particularly its focus on the entanglement of body, environment, and technology – and autotheory, the study treats generative AI as an instrument of vision and voice. Using generative AI to create a partial digital twin, a self-portrait, is situated as an inherently embodied and relational practice. Through a combination of desk-based research and a practice-based, reflexive engagement with RunwayML, the paper documents the author’s attempt to create an identical-looking digital twin, revealing systemic biases embedded in AI-generated self-portraits. The paper uses embodiment as connective tissue linking theoretical and lived experience. Generative AI consistently misrepresented gender and age, defaulting to hyper-feminized aesthetics and youthful features while reliably reproducing Whiteness. The study also critically examines voice cloning and text-to-speech synthesis, highlighting how AI’s training data constrain language, accent, and vocal traits. By positioning AI-generated imagery and voice synthesis as material-discursive practices, the research extends debates on bias, agency, and self-representation in human–machine interactions. It argues that artists working with generative AI not only expose its epistemic limitations but also provide counter-narratives through creative, embodied interventions. The findings highlight the ways artists can help to meet the urgent need for more inclusive AI infrastructures, transparent dataset practices, and a reframing of digital self-representation beyond generative AI’s algorithmic defaults

Interview with Jane Prophet

Interview with Jane Prophet by Lanfranco Aceti and Vince Dziekan

(Projection) mapping the brain: a critical cartographic approach to the artist’s use of fMRI to study the contemplation of death.

This paper discusses the author’s artwork, Neuro Memento Mori, a self-portrait comprising digital animations and live action video projection-mapped onto a 3D print. The life-sized sculpture of the head and neck, dissected to reveal the artist’s brain, was produced from MRI data gathered as the artist viewed memento mori paintings and meditated on death. The production of the artwork, made with neuroscientists, explores the relationship between the so-called frontier of neuroscience, data and the map. The use of computation to produce neuroimages, 3D prints and projected video is discussed from the perspective of critical cartography

Neuro Memento Mori: meditations on death

In Neuro Memento Mori, digital animations and live action video are projection mapped onto a 3D print of the artist’s head and neck made from data from 3D scans of the head and MRI scans of the brain. The life-sized 3D printed sculptures are dissected to reveal the artist’s brain and ‘make real’ fMRI data gathered as the artist conducted experiments in the MRI scanner including viewing memento mori paintings and meditating on death. Computation is used to produce 3D neuroimages, 3D prints and computer animations that are projection-mapped back onto the 3D object. The artworks, made with neuroscientists, are contemporary memento mori made from data