The family of robot animals from the German developer of robotics Festo is growing. The company presents many new robots, for example: a swarm of ants that can interact with each other, as well as butterflies and dragonflies, which are characterized by all the ease and grace of these insects. When they were created, the company focused not only on their appearance, but also on behavioral characteristics.
The Willoughby Visual Arts Biennial is a contemporary art festival that brings temporary public art and happenings to the central public spaces of the Chatswood CBD in Sydney. Now in its second iteration, the 2017 Biennial (running from 6-24 September) is larger in both scope and size this year.
Programmed alongside several public art installations is an exciting solo exhibition by artist Wade Marynowsky, entitled Algorithmic Pareidolia. Marynowsky’s installation is a series of new experimental video and robotic artworks that explore how our understanding of reality is increasingly simulated and automated. After his 2014 retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria, Wade Marynowsky: Nostalgia for Obsolete Futures, as well as numerous international projects, this solo exhibition at the Incinerator Art Space is a huge coup for Willoughby City Council, who manage the Biennial.
Algorithmic Pareidolia contains eight artworks that respond to the Biennial theme, ‘Kaleidoscope’. Five videos set in Sydney display a slow-moving and highly stylised aesthetic that references the paintings of Belgian artist, René Magritte. Utilising a surreal abstraction, the videos overlay multiple images to depict a Sydney of the future.
Advances in genetic engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology that not long ago seemed purely science fiction are now real. Cyborgs, superhumans and clones are alive amongst us today. What does it mean to be human now? What will it feel like to be a human a hundred years from now? Should we continue to embrace modifications to our minds, bodies and daily lives, or are there boundaries we shouldn’t overstep?
HUMAN+ The Future of Our Species, ArtScience Museum’s new cutting-edge exhibition, explores the possible future paths of our species. It asks what it means to be human in a world of artificial intelligence, lifelike robots and genetic modification. It probes the social, ethical and environmental questions raised by using technology to modify ourselves. Will virtual reality be the new reality? What would happen if a robot knew what we wanted before we knew ourselves? How might we modify ourselves to adapt to an environment that we are drastically transforming? Is longevity a noble aspiration or a terrible threat for the planet? In the future, who will have ownership of our genetic information?
Featuring work by Oron Catts, Ionat Zurr, Stelarc, Nina Sellars and many more. Opens May 20, 2017
