In !brute_force: Soft Resilience, the installation as a central set up takes the form of a dystopian microcosm structured around a 3-dimensional grid, designed to resemble an abstracted serotonin molecule - a neurotransmitter influenced by the human parallel evolution with dogs. Since serotonin regulates both species metabolic functions, these are measured as physiological data captured and classified by AI in order to generate a map for Smrekar, while pushing and rearranging tiles in numerous performance iterations amid climbing the grid with a dog. The captured data serves as input for the algorithm to learn how to advise her to invest just enough bodily force to align her heartbeat with the dog’s, while the performance data gets stored in the Apple Cloud with access to it restricted. There, data from the dog’s body, presents a continuous disruption of the corporate human health statistics, challenging its prescriptive power. The same data is gathered within the !brute_force cloud in parallel, with the performativity of all agents to be openly observable by the public, and to be reembodied by means of soft robotics. In order to challenge the objective affirmation of AI, and to pose a question, on whether forms of ontological and epistemological liberation from models of hierarchical relations, could be articulated from algorithms in ways that might exceed determination, the technology that calls for embedded agency was approached. A series of soft robotic morphologies with organic topological forms of “bodies without organs” was constructed and embedded in the installation. An evolutionary algorithm was set up to process continuously updated human/dog performance data of the !brute_force cloud, as a point of departure; to push the robots to go beyond the data - into infinity, and bring it to life, through reliance on a materialist ontology.
The !brute_force project extends the question on whether we are in danger of losing control to AI, or to machines, onto the one about losing control to models of reality itself. Even though the map is not the territory, the project addresses how the territory has been extending into a vast landscape of the algorithmic unknown, acquiring a new paradigm of thought: one that is asocial and a-human.
Installation design: Maja Smrekar (SI)
Construction design: Miloš Vujković (RS/DE)
Architecture: Aljaž Rudolf (SI)
Animation design: Dongwook Jang (KR/NL)
Neural network model concept: Alen Balja (SI), dr. Primož Ravbar (USA), Maja Smrekar (SI)
Neural Network architecture and programming: Alen Balja (SI), Miran Lončarič (SI), Naveen Agula (IN)
Interface concept: Alen Balja (SI), Maja Smrekar (SI)
Interface and animation design: Dongwook Jang (K / NL)
Dog handlers and training concept: Mia Zahariaš (SI), Tina Šolar (SI)
Dogs: Boogie (SI), Ada (SI), George (SI)
Soft robotics concept: Jonas Jørgensen (DK), Maja Smrekar (SI)
Soft robotics design: Jonas Jørgensen (DK), Mads Bering Christiansen (DK)
Soft robotics parts fabrication: Mads Bering Christiansen (DK)
Soft robotics microcontroller programming: Daniel Mauricio Fernandez Gonzalez (CO/ ES), Jonas Jørgensen (DK)
Algorithm programming: Daniel Mauricio Fernandez Gonzalez (CO/ES)
Soft robotics mechanical parts design and fabrication: Cao Danh Do (DK)
Soft robotics electronics: Jeppe Rahbæk Mosgaard (DK)
Tile design and production: Miloš Vujković (RS/DE)
!brute_force: Feeding the Algorithm (2019 - 2020) was executed by Maja Smrekar as a performance between the human, dog and AI algorithm. Produced by Quo Artis Foundation (ES) Co-produced by Kapelica Gallery/Kersnikova Institute (SI), The Culture Yard/CLICK Festival (DK). The project was part of the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab and was supported by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union Supported by Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia (SI), Municipality of Ljubljana – Department for Culture (SI), Danish Art Council (DK)
!brute_force: non Cartesian shell (2020–2021) was executed as a soft robotic prototype in co-authorship between Maja Smrekar and Jonas Jørgensen Realised as a soft robotic tile prototype within the framework of the STUDIOTOPIA program at Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG (A) with support of the Creative Europe Culture Program of the European Union. In collaboration with Center for Soft Robotics, SDU Biorobotics, The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark (DK). Supported by Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia (SI)
!brute_force: Soft Resilience (2022) was executed in co-authorship between Maja Smrekar and Jonas Jørgensen as a final installation with integrated soft robots performing their algorithmicity. Produced by PiNA Association (SI) Co-produced by TROP — Institute for artistic research (SI) In collaboration with Center for Soft Robotics, SDU Biorobotics, The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark (DK) Funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia (SI)
URL of the project: https://nonbruteforce.net
Maja Smrekar (Slovenia)
Maja Smrekar’s work combines practice-based artistic research exploring the potentials of current technologically and scientifically rooted processes and materials. She has been using her artistic voice to speak on ecofeminism, inter-species relationships, posthumanism, technology and ideological structures in society. Her practice has allowed her to lead strong collaborations in developing productions that include cross-conceptual staging of hybrid art, performance, installations, sitespecific art, performative photography, drawing and video as well as contributions to knowledge exchanged within lectures, talks and texts. Smrekar was among others a recipient of the 1st prize at the Cynetart Festival 2012, awarded by the Hellerau European Centre for the Arts (Dresden / Germany); Honorary Mention at Ars Electronica Festival 2013 (Linz / Austria), Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica 2017 in the Hybrid Arts Category (Linz/Austria) and Prešeren Foundation Award 2018, the highest award of the Republic of Slovenia (Ljubljana/Slovenia).
www.majasmrekar.org
Social Media: Instagram @maja_smrekar / Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ maja.smrekar.73/
Jonas Jørgensen (Denmark)
Jonas Jørgensen (b. 1981) is a researcher and artist based in Copenhagen (DK) focusing on practice-based transdisciplinary work at the nexus of technology, media art aesthetics, and the posthumanities. He was originally trained as a physicist (BSc) and an art historian (BA, MA) at Copenhagen University and Columbia University (New York) and in 2019 received the PhD degree from the IT University of Copenhagen as a member of the Robotics Evolution and Art Lab (REAL). Jonas’ work addresses naturecultural issues related to embodiment, soft materiality, and human-robot interaction by conjoining technical and natural science approaches with material perspectives and enactive practices. His work has had outlets and been disseminated across academic and artistic contexts. Over the past decade, his collaborative art projects were exhibited internationally at institutions including Chronus Art Center (Shanghai, China), Science Gallery Dublin, Ars Electronica Festival (Linz, Austria), BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts (Brussels, Belgium), LAZNIA Center for Contemporary Art (Gdansk, Poland), Cluj Cultural Centre (Cluj, Romania), Forum Box (Helsinki, Finland), Kunsthal Grenland (Porsgrunn, Norway), and Nikolaj Kunsthal (Copenhagen, Denmark). His writings have appeared in peer-reviewed and popular outlets including artist monographs, exhibition catalogues, academic journals, anthologies, and conference proceedings. He has given lectures, presented papers, and organized workshops at international academic conferences and art festivals including MediaArtHistories, ICRA (International Conference on Robotics and Automation), HRI (ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction), ISEA, Pixelache, MOCO (Movement Computing), and POM (Politics of the Machines). Jonas currently serves as management committee member representing Denmark in the EU COST action CA18136 “European Forum for Advanced Practices” (2019-2023) and holds a position as Associate Professor at the Center for Soft Robotics at the Biorobotics section of the University of Southern Denmark, where he is co-director of the Center for Soft Robotics (https://www.softrobotics.dk/).
jonasjoergensen.org
Social Media: Instagram @jonasjoergensen / Twitter @JoergensenJonas / LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-j%C3%B8rgensen-7329aa1ab
!brute_force: Soft Resilience at MSU Zagreb
April 4 - April 30, 2023
Organisation: Ana Škegro
Coordination: Miranda Herceg
Assistants: Ela Domitrović, Petar Vranjković
Set-up: Miloš Vujković, Dalibor Cicvara, Davor Filipčić, Renato Mihaljenović, Aleksandar Milošević, Silvio Strelar
The realisation of the project !brute_force: Soft Resilience at MSU Zagreb was made possible with the support of the Zagreb City Office for Culture, International Relations and Civil Society, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Zagreb.
