LIFE BEGETS ROCK, ROCKS BEGET LIFE
"Life begets rock, rocks beget life" explores the enigmatic relationship between rocks and life forms, with a particular focus on the transformative potential of rocks as habitats and shelters. The project comprises a series of 3-5 morphing rocks, each incorporating a robotic structure controlled by an AI system that will allow them to slowly adapt to the space and local environment. By these means, we endeavour to investigate the fundamental questions: what is the nuanced relationship between rocks and life? And how artificial intelligence networks can provide means to speculate possible new realities?
Agnete Morell
Agnete Morell, a Danish multimedia artist born in 1995, specialises in digital art and simulation. Her work involves creating intricate virtual ecosystems with artificial life forms, drawing inspiration from gaming, neuroscience, and philosophy. Morell's installations challenge traditional notions of authorship and narrative by blurring the lines between reality and the virtual. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design and completed an internship at Studio Olafur Eliasson before pursuing her Master's degree at Central Saint Martins in London. Currently, she works as an Art Director at International Magic and teaches AI and Hyperbodies at London College of Fashion. Morell continues to expand her expertise through courses at Oxford University. She has collaborated with notable artists such as Judy Chicago, Robert Irwin, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, and Marcia Michaels on various projects at renowned institutions like Light Art Space and Tate Britain.
Samuel Domínguez
Born in Santiago, Chile (1995). Studied Fine Arts at Maryland Institute College of Art and Universidad Finis Terrae. He completed a Physics Diploma at Universidad de Chile and MA Sculpture at the Royal College of Art. His work playfully explores themes such as bio-colonialism, digital narratives and speculative ecologies of the future. He works primarily on sculpture, but often extends to videos, sounds and drawings. He has been an artist lecturer at University for the Creative Arts (2022) and Whitechapel Gallery (2018). His work has been exhibited internationally at Factoría Santa Rosa (solo) in Chile; Standpoint Gallery in the UK; Royal Scottish Academy in Scotland; ArsElectronica Festival in Austria; Multimedia Cultural Center in Croatia; Galería AFA (solo) in Chile; MAVI in Chile; RVCC in the USA; Palazzo Falangini in Italy; CICA Museum in Korea (2016); Galería Patricia Ready in Chile; MAC in Chile; among others.
He was shortlisted for the Frieze Sculpture commission in London 2022.
Guided by an AI system, the morphing rocks will be configured to adapt and reposition themselves in pursuit of optimal living conditions for the proliferation of moss in their surfaces. Through the analysis of critical environmental factors using sensors, such as temperature, moisture levels, light exposure, and local ecological contexts, the AI system orchestrates the spatial arrangements of the rocks to establish microhabitats conducive to the growth and sustenance of life.
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