While getting ready to fly to Zürich, I I sent an email to my dear friend Jill Scott that I will be in her city soon. As it happened, she was organizing the LASER with Boris and roped me in 🙂
LASER Zürich
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Keynote lecture
I am getting ready for a keynote talk for the “Showroom Z +: collaborations between art and science” conference at the Zurich University for the Arts.
Here is the short abstract of the talk: Brain Storming: Molecules, Butterflies, Animals and Birds
Using the metaphor of the diamond reflecting different sides of the same idea, problem or environment, I will show how long term collaborations with nanoscientist James Gimzewski, neuroscientists Siddharth Ramakrishnan and Mark Cohen and evolutionary biologist Charles Taylor influence our perception and experience of the world around us. The talk will highlight why it is important for scientists to work with artists.
Showroom Z + N ° 6
4. November 2016: Showroom Z + N ° 6: Collaborations
Flyer (download pdf)
Victoria Vesna (University of California LA) on Fri 11/04/2016 visited the showroom Z + N ° 6 «collaborations».
9:30: Lecture “Brain Storming: Molecules, Butterflies, Animals and Birds» — Lecture Hall 1, Level 3
13:30 : Workshop “Performing the Self Animal / Ingesting Cultural Hybridity: Hox Zodiac Dinner» space 6.K02
LASERZurich: Complexity – from particle physics to musical interfaces
I will be attending and giving a short presentation at the LASERZürich — same day as I land! Looks like a great program — Complexity – from particle physics to musical interfaces —
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 18.00,
Hardturmstrasse 169, CH-8005 Zurich.
Dinner is included.
From 18.00 to 20.00: Alexander Penn (Physicist and Researcher, ETH Zurich), Martin Pohl (Experimental Physicist, University of Geneva) and David Rosenboom (Composer-Performer, California Institute of the Arts). The discussion will be moderated by Boris Magrini. An introduction to LASER UCLA will also be presented by Victoria Vesna (Artist and Researcher, UCLA).
Featured artist in Cybernetics & Human Knowing!
Image
Thanks for collaborator and friend Claudia Jacques!
Octopus Brain Storming @ UCLA Luskin center
It was exhilarating to have the Octopus Brain Storm EEG working! After many different iterations that were mostly imagining how it could work, the art science team brain waves coming together created magic! Collaborator, neuroscientist Mark Cohen, and the art sci collecyive made it happen. We performed this at the opening of the new UCLA Luskin conference center for the very first time and it never failed. The sound, the EEG, the octopus crowns all worked. Octopus brainStorming was first performed live first by Anna Dumitiru and Alex May who happened to be here from the UK and this was followed by a second performance was by Patricia Olynyk and Samantha from Mark’s lab. The voice recording by jazz artist Kenton Chen was by solicited by Mark C. All came together magically. Read here the science behind this work!
Octopus BrainStorming: Empathy — Patricia Olynyk and Samantha from Art|Sci Center on Vimeo.
Moderating Ars Electronica Prix Forum: Interactive Art + winners
Because I was a jury member for the Interactive Arts +, they asked me to moderate the winners. More info
Winners
Mathias Jud (CH) and Christoph Wachter (CH)
Winners of the Golden Nica of 2016 Prix Ars Electronica in the Interactive Art + category. Project: Can you hear me?
Frank Kolkmann (NL)
Award of Distinction of 2016 Prix Ars Electronica 2016 in the Interactive Art + category. Project: OpenSurgery
Moderation
Victroria Vesna (US)
Professor at Design|Media Arts UCLA and jury member of the 2016 Prix Ars Electronica
Interview on CLOT magazine, London
ART is (speaking portraits) by George Quasha
This book is a result of a decade long project by George Quasha asking creatives “What is Art?”. In his preface, he states: “this is not a book about what art is. It’s a book saying what it is by those who make it — a portrait of emergent discourse.”
BIRD SONG MIMIC workshop
June 25th, Chuck Taylor, Joel Ong and I led a workshop at Governor’s Island that was well attended and received. We started outside on the grass with Joel leading a “tuning in” exersice and then went inside for a short lecture / background of the project from each of our perspectives, to finally give everybody an opportunity to play with the Bird Song Mimic. Now preparing for the next workshop / hands-on demo in New York city at Harvestworks on July 19th.
“Tuning in” – Joel Ong leading the sound meditation
Workshop, Governor’s Island, June 25, 2016
More pics on flikr
NY Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous @ Ellen Levy’s
How auspicious that I arrived the dat before Ellen and Patricia Olynyk were hosting their monthly LASER. This gave me an opportunity to introduce the Bird Song Mimic workshop a couple of days later at Governor’s Island. Many good friends showed up including Kathy Brew, Christiane Paul and Linda Weintraub. Carol Parkinson from Harvestworks was there to introduce her program and it was also lucky I was presenting last as Chuck Taylor and his daughter Amy just made it from the airport. He walked in as I was mentioning him and went straight up to talk about our collaboration.
Describing Bird Song Diamond installation in Tsukuba.
Here is the original illustration of the Bird Song Mimic evolving. We stayed pretty true to the vision.
Chuck graciously introducing his experience as a scientist working with an artist.
More pics from the evening on flikr.