Shadow Knowledge
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just a little stroll at night during my @artsatcern residency. from Flickr https://ift.tt/2CaUynH via IFTTT
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Lune magazine Issue 03: Display, Guest Edited by Nathan Jones is out! It features a contribution by me ;)
Before I came here, I must admit, I never really considered the differences between a theoretical particle physicist, an experimental particle physicist or an applied physicist. During my first week at CERN I visited 3 out of 4 major experiments taking place at CERN, connected to the Large Hadron Collider (the LHC particle accelerator), taking place in specially designed detectors (ATLAS, CMS, ALICE and LHCb). These experiments follow resolutions set following complex processes considering not just an objective but maybe more importantly, the conditions and affordances brought by physics, engineering, code and finances.
After one week of running from one experimental site to the next, and meeting the fauna connected to all the different categories and more, I am still not sure how to make sense of it all. To be honest, I am maybe more confused about what it all means - and what all these people are doing here, exactly?
It has become clear to me though, that at CERN not all scientists belief in all of the same things, laws or actions. A lot of their work has to do with trying to figure out what to do (next). To a certain extend, most of them seem not entirely sure (I hope I got that right and I am not sounding disrespectful here, the fact is, the uncertainties are very high). In a nutshell, here is what I do understand after a week at CERN.
From their website:
At CERN, our work helps to uncover what the universe is made of and how it works. We do this by providing a unique range of particle accelerator facilities to researchers, to advance the boundaries of human knowledge.
The Laboratory, established in 1954, has become a prime example of international collaboration.
CERN is thus a laboratory; in fact, it is the biggest laboratory in the world. Its main mission seems to be tied to unravelling the basic questions about into existence and the universe (on a side not: I have not heard the word 'consciousness' yet). 95% of the universe is unknown to both us laymen but also to these scientists. We can only observe 5% of the universe and the other 95% of what surrounds us is unknown. Unknowable, immeasurable, imperceivable, invisible and clearly indescribable. And the experiments by which the scientists wish to 'tackle' (or rather infer and deduct) this unknown, dark universe (consisting of dark energy and dark matter) are many and diverse.
Of course the start of any such inference starts with a question, so here are just a few I collected so far:
Why is the universe so big?
What is our cosmic DNA? Are there additional dimensions to space?
What is the nature of matter?
Why do things weigh? Do gravitons exist? Does anti matter fall up or down?
Is there super symmetry, or is the next breakthrough to be found in string theory? What is time and does time even exist?
To me, for (almost) all of those questions it is even hard to explain what they mean - they come with layers of understanding and languages (lets not even mention the jungle of acronyms they have created here) that sound familiar but mean very little to me. They even drove me to read and finish A Very Short Introduction to Particle Physics (a little book or cliff notes about particle physics by Frank Close) earlier this week.
A special moment happened this week when I listened to a string theorist say: "time and space dit not exist before the Big Bang. That is something I can accept because of the equations, but I don't understand these equations myself. For the sake of my research, I just ignore time altogether." I could have hugged him because for a moment my imposter syndrome vanished and I felt more free, But then again of course the man had obtained his candid senses due to the years of studying and hugging him seemed .. a solution from another dimension.
It seems that CERN is a place for ideas that are hard to think, ideas that even scientist have trouble with. And while some of them are looking for new, divergent vanishing points, others belief that the path to possible future knowledge can simply be found in more measurements: "Now is not the time for new theories; new insights and knowledge will come when there is more research done".
So here I am, an artist roaming on the planes touching the edges of the hard sciences. And still, I feel not completely out of place. Once felt inspired by the ways in which snakes see warmth and bees smell pollen. In the same vain, here I see how scientists grow new senses to see, smell, hear and touch, mapping their universe through charts and prisms.
I, too, am always looking for new ways to approach the world, to shed new light on (archetypal) principles and to make translations. Moreover, for a long time now, I too struggle and play with the principle: the more heavily encoded the image, the harder it is to read. I do believe their is a valuable balance to strike between collecting new ways of seeing (artists), and solving puzzles with them (scientists).
My visit is part of ‘Collide International/ Barcelona 2019’. This is the flagship programme existing since 2012. #collideinternational #artsatcern #cern, Arts at CERN CERN
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It’s a beautiful publication that comes with audio recordings and prints by Mario de vega made during our journey in Antártica. My essay is printed white on white and the cover of the publication is reflective.
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Kunstenaar Rosa Menkman naar CERN: ‘Ik ga vooral vragen stellen.’
Kunstenaar? Rosa Menkman wordt er altijd wat ongemakkelijk van als het woord kunstenaar valt. Ze was deze zomer weliswaar de eerste winnaar van de Collide International-prijs van CERN en de Fabra i Coats in Barcelona, gekozen uit meer dan 220 inzendingen, maar ze noemt zichzelf eigenlijk liever onderzoeker.
‘Aangezien we op de Universiteit weinig praktische kennis kregen over het functioneren van digitale technologie, zocht ik deze kennis ergens anders. Ik experimenteerde in mijn vrije tijd in hackathons and workshops met het deconstrueren van digitale technologieën en objecten, zoals bijvoorbeeld het videobeeld. De uitkomst van deze experimenten vielen vaak in de categorie kunst.’
Menkman (Arnhem 1983) staat vooral te boek als filmmaker en videokunstenaar, maar met een sterk theoretische inslag. Ze studeerde nieuwe media aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam, exposeert internationaal en is docent aan de kunstacademie in Kassel. Vanaf 23 september is ze een maand op CERN in Genève, gekoppeld aan een wetenschapper. Daarna produceert ze in Barcelona een film voor het project.
Wat heb je persoonlijk met CERN?
‘Ik vind CERN een van de meest bijzondere plekken op aarde, van de orde van de piramides in Egypte en de Jantar Mantar in Jaipur. Een plek waar letterlijk nieuwe kennis wordt vrijgemaakt, waar woorden en concepten worden gevonden voor wat we nog niet weten. Om daar even bij te mogen zijn is fantastisch.’
Ben je er wel eens geweest?
‘Nee, op dit moment alleen via podcasts, videos and street maps.’
Liggen kunst en wetenschap niet heel ver uit elkaar?
‘Ik zie een overlap. Sommige kunst probeert het onverwoorde te verwoorden of het onbekende te verbeelden. Kunst kan je helpen scherper naar de wereld te kijken, of ervaringen die niet te bevatten zijn te verbeelden. CERN doet dat op zijn manier ook.’
Je inzending voor Collide International was een video waarin je praat over capturing the imperceivable, het vangen van het onzichtbare.
‘Mijn project heet ‘Shadow Knowledge’. Op CERN zoeken wetenschappers naar nieuwe dimensies, dimensies die kleiner zijn dan de optische dimensie (suboptical). De afgelopen jaren heb ik vooral de term ‘resolutie’ onderzocht - in het visuele domein refereert deze term vooral naar het kleinste dat we kunnen onderscheiden. Maar het betekend ook ‘oplossen’. En hier ligt mijn interesse: techniek heeft altijd beperkingen en gecalculeerde compromissen - het eind plaatje is altijd een gefilterde werkelijkheid. Wat mij intrigeert is eigenlijk wat je (net) niet ziet. Of wat je wel ziet, maar er niet is: de artifacten.’
Daar maakte je eerder video en VR installaties mee.
‘Veel van mijn werk gaat over het effect van ruis en compressie. Daaruit kunnen nieuwe patronen ontstaan, patronen die bewijs of residu van de gebruikte technologieën vormen.’
Ik zie op je website video’s met digitale spookbeelden.
‘Die ontstaan door de manier waarop je beelden filtert. De vraag is of ze er dan wel of niet zijn. Ik vraag mezelf vaak: wat zijn de kwaliteiten van het digitaal materiaal precies?’
Wat ga je daar op CERN concreet mee doen?
‘Ik ga vooral veel praten met onderzoekers van allerlei afdelingen en experimenten. Over wat meten betekend, over fouten en onzekerheden. En hoe je als onderzoeker je hele leven kunt besteden aan dat wat je niet weet.’
Maak je uiteindelijk een film?
‘Ik ga praten en misschien filmen. Ik ga veel schrijven en nadenken en dingen daarvan gebruiken in eigen digitale experimenten. Eigenlijk weet ik nog niet wat ik ga maken in die maand Barcelona. Ik wil vooral leren van de ontmoeting.’
En kan de deeltjesfysica ook iets van jou leren?
‘Dat is natuurlijk de uiteindelijke wens. Misschien, we zullen zien. Kunst kan wetenschappers ook nieuwe inzichten geven. Niet zo lang geleden hoorde van een muzikant die cel groei in geluid omzette, waardoor onderzoekers opeens ritmes herkende die ze in scans nooit zagen. Hoe zo’n vertaalslag, van het ene domein naar het andere, tot nieuwe inzichten kan leiden, vind fascinerend.’
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0010 Resolution Studies
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Dutch artist Rosa Menkman has been selected as the winner of the first Collide International award in Barcelona alongside four Honorary Mentions “The primary objective of Arts at CERN is to create extraordinary opportunities for dialogue and exchange between artists and scientists, and to encourage significant connections between creative minds in a fundamental research environment. I am particularly proud to announce the winners of the first Collide International prize in collaboration with the city of Barcelona,” says Monica Bello, head of Arts at CERN. “Here at CERN, we value diversity and exchange, across communities and countries. It is an inherent part of our laboratory’s culture and essential to the success of our research. We appreciate the strong partnerships that now allow us to welcome new artists to connect with our community. I am excited to see what they will achieve together with our scientists,” says Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle, CERN’s Director for International Relations. According to the jury, comprised of Monica Bello, Arts at CERN, Oriol Gual, director of La Capella in Barcelona, Joana Hurtado, director of Fabra i Coats and Helga Timko, CERN physicist, the winning artist demonstrated a sophistication of concept and approach. Menkman’s topic focused on the idea of resolution, which resonates with CERN’s quest to perform research from the smallest to the largest scale. They found Menkman’s argument about the significance and purpose of scientific measurement and how information is filtered in and out of an experiment inspiring. The artist will be invited to CERN in Geneva for two months to explore these topics, after which she will work for a month on a 3D video production at Fabra i Coats. ─╟╨╬╥▐╠─▀ ─╟╨╬╥▐╠─▀ ─╟╨╬╥▐╠─▀ ─╟╨╬╥▐╠─▀ ─╟╨╬╥▐╠─▀ ─╟╨╬╥▐╠─▀
I gave a talk at Gray Area about immersive spaces and the requirements for immersivity. You can find all the slides here.
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For L’Unique Caen Menkman revisited a few of her key works and remade them especially for the square window of the gallery. Pique Nique pour les Inconnues showcases a prepared desktop, hosting a party of ‘unknowns’ - digital and analogue objects that are usually not seen, unknown or ignored. Within the space of the desktop, one by one they obtain a voice and introduce themselves.
Take a look at the slides of the subjects we spoke about during the Beyond Resolution Summer Semester course! Summer semester 2019 slides.Alternative formats: Manifestos Tokyo Threading. A presentation given at the Sony Centre, Tokyo, JapanAR, VR and ‘empathy’. A presentation for Impakt, Utrecht, Netherlands Emojis Timetravelling Posthuman GlossaryMonopolized services (Included an Amazon Fullfilment centre visit with class) Lets talk about money!
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For L’Unique Caen I revisited a few of my key works and remade them especially for the square window of the gallery. Pique Nique pour les Inconnues showcases a prepared desktop, hosting a party of ‘unknowns’ - digital and analogue objects that are usually not seen, unknown or ignored. Within the space of the desktop, one by one they obtain a voice and introduce themselves.
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This Lexicon intends to offer an insight into the development of meaning in the aesthetics of distortion in Sci-Fi movies throughout the years, via an analysis of 1200 Sci-Fi Trailers. It will be released in tandem with a video essay. Starting with trailers from 1978, I reviewed 30 trailers per year to obtain an insight into the development of noise artifacts in Sci-Fi from before the arrival of the home computer, to Sci-Fi adopting the contemporary aesthetics of our ubiquitous digital devices. My source for the trailers is the Internet Movie Database, where I accessed lists of the top-US Grossing Sci-Fi Titles per year. When watching these trailers I took screenshots whenever a distortion occured, and when possible interpreted them. Currently the database includes findings from research done into 630 trailers (1998-2018). Underneath this very short essay I offer my most interesting findings per year. When you click an image, you get access to the noise artifacts per year. Glitch Art genre (2019) Every file format consists of a language, or ‘dialect’, according to which it is encoded, often also refered to as a compression algorithm. When we break this organization of data, by for instance glitching or databending, a new utterance or visual expression appears, showcasing the otherwise obfuscated organizations of compression on the surface of the image. These newly emerged images are often directly dismissed as 'garbage' or 'noise artifacts’, but sometimes, the results of these noise artifacts can in fact reveal exciting, unexpected new forms of expression or ‘visual slang’. It is these modes of expression that artists have named the genre of Glitch Art. But, to call glitch a genre suggests it is intelligible and that it follows certain norms or rules. From its beginnings, glitch art used to exploit medium-reflexivity, to rhetorically question technologies ‘perfect’ use, conventions and expectations. However, paradoxically, over time glitch art has become standardized into a genre that also fulfills certain expectations (oa. to rhetorically question the medium). This reflexive approach inherent in the materiality of the glitch tends to, as Katherine Hayles would assert, re-conceptualize the glitches’ materiality into an interplay between its ‘physical characteristics and its signifying strategies’. But glitch genres perform their reflection on digital materiality not just on a technological level. To really understand a glitch, each level of this notion of (glitch) materiality should be studied: the text as a physical artifact, its conceptual content, and the interpretive activities of artists and audiences. Distortions in Sci-Fi Distortions prompt the spectator to engage not only with themes, but also with complex subcultural and meta-cultural narratives and gestures, presenting new analytical challenges. In the Glitch Moment(um) (Institute of Network Cultures, 2010) I wrote that every form of glitch, either breaking a flow, or designed to look like a break from a flow, will eventually become a new fashion. As the popularization and cultivation of the glitch genre has now spread widely, I believe it is important to track the development of these processes in specific case studies and create ‘a lexicon of distortions’. New, fresh research within the field of noise artifacts is necessary. In an attempt to expand on A Vernacular of File Formats, I propose a lexicon that deconstructs the meanings of noise artifacts; a handbook to navigate glitch clichés as employed specifically in the genre of Sci-Fi. Sci-Fi relies on the literacy of the spectator (references to media technology texts, aesthetics and machinic processes) and their knowledge of more ‘conventional’ distortion or noise artifacts. Former disturbances have gained complex meaning beyond their technological value; with the help of popular culture, these effects have transformed into signifiers provoking affect. For example, analogue noise conjures up the sense of an eerie, invisible power entering the frame (a ghost), while blocky-artifacts often refer to time travelling or a data offense initiated by an Artificial Intelligence. Interlacing refers to an invisible camera, while camera interface esthetics (such as a viewfinders and tracking brackets or markers around a face) refer to observation technologies. Hackers still work in monochrome, green environments, while all holograms are made from phosphorous blue light. And when color channels distort, the protagonist is experiencing a loss of control.
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** This video is a placeholder; work in progress!!
Behind White Shadows of Image Processing is a video based on my essay of the same name and is on show now at the ICC Tokyo as part of "Alternative Views" in the Open Space.
In Behind White Shadows, the "Angel of History" sends its friends and colleagues an email with the photos of two female figures attached. These two images, modelled after real women, are still seen by many people. However their name and identity remain unknown. The Angel writes: "While contemplating these images, I had to think about other women, whose faces were put through similar histories. Forever resonating within the realms of image processing - wether they chose this fate themselves or not. As it seems your face is amongst them, I wondered if you could share some of your insights." The Angel receives replies subsequently from the leader ladies, Lena, Ariane and a render ghost.
Alternative Views is an exhibition covering media art works and various expressions in the current media environment. It displays typical works in media and art, works incorporating contemporary technology, works with a critical perspective, works by emerging artists, and ongoing projects at research institutes. Furthermore, with commentary to help the understanding of the work, not only enjoy the work but also the current diversified media and the way of communication in the background, or the prospect for the future, the new sensitivity and the sense of beauty about the modern technology society We are aiming for an exhibition that will give us an opportunity to think
Period: Saturday, May 18, 2019 – Sunday, March 1, 2020 : NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC].
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