Exhibition View: The Unexpected

How do we navigate the intricate dance between human agency and artificial intelligence? This exhibition stands as a profound exploration of the emotional and cognitive landscapes reshaped by AI, prompting a critical speculation of our future.

In an era marked by rapid technological evolution, the interplay between human cognition and artificial intelligence (AI) invites both fascination and trepidation. The exhibition The Unexpected. Enquiries on Human-AI Interactions explores these dynamics and serves as the culminating event of the PEEK project with the same title. This exhibition features the works of project leader Pamela Breda and the project collaborators Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell – artists whose pursuit traverse complex landscapes of emotional, cognitive and exploitative responses to AI.

The Unexpected invites you to a deeper contemplation of the philosophical, ethical and societal ramifications of AI. The shown artworks tell us about the labyrinth of human-AI relations with a critical and reflective lens and also address broader themes of human behavior – like the fear of change, and the relentless drive of capitalism that propels technological advancement, underscoring the duality of AI as both a marvel of human ingenuity and a potential harbinger of unforeseen challenges.

Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell extend this topic through an interactive mixed reality installation that reconfigures the very space of the exhibition. Utilizing 3D mapping technologies and the head mounted display – HoloLens, they create an immersive environment that references the application of AI in several controversial domains resulting in the proliferation of autonomous weapons, brain hacking technologies, data labor exploitation, sexbots, and the relentless persistence of extractivism practices.

The central topics extend from the virtual environment into the physical exhibition space through the materialization of objects and artifacts made from materials that are integral within the AI technosphere. Reis's and Schnell's pieces invite viewers to engage critically in a speculative narrative that navigates between physical and virtual space.

Credits:

Mixed media installation:

Concept and production:
Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell

3D printing: Klemens Kohlweis

Tailoring and Embroidery: Erika Farina

Interactive mixed reality headset (HoloLens 2):

Artistic concept and direction:
Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell

Technology architect: Thomas Hochwallner
Actors: Sarah Jeanne Babits, Therese Cafasso,
Randall Galera, Deborah Gzesh

Harmony (3D animation): Joanna Zabielska

About the artist Patrícia J. Reis and Ruth Schnell:

Patrícia J. Reis (PT) is a media artist and researcher exploring human and more-than-human entanglements with technology. Drawing from media theory, gender studies, and new materialism, she examines parallels between human and machine operations, playfully engaging with bodily sensory mechanisms. She is a Postdoctoral Senior Researcher leading Hacking the Body as the Black Box (Elise Richter-Programm) at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, where she has lectured at the department of Digital Arts since 2015.

Ruth Schnell (AT) headed the Department of Digital Art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna until fall 2023. Her work particularly encompasses interactive video environments, dynamic projections, and light installations, engaging intensely with questions of perception. A central aspect of her practice is the exploration of political and social issues, as well as the nature of the world and society. Her current artistic research focuses on the immersive aspects of mixed-reality environments.

Pamela Breda presents a filmic narrative delving into the future of humanity entwined with AI. Her work will pose philosophical inquiries into the symbiosis and potential friction between human intellect and machine learning. Drawing on the insights of contemporary philosophers such as Luciano Floridi and Rosi Braidotti, Breda's film contemplates the ontological shifts precipitated by AI. It challenges viewers to ponder whether our evolving relationship with artificial intelligence augments human experience or subtly erodes the essence of our humanity.

Credits:

Actors: Sara Herrlander, Yoachim Auvray

Soundtrack: Emanuele Wiltsch Barberio

Sound Design: Alessandro Peiretti

Camera Assistant: Lorenzo Truco

Bibliographical references:

James Bridle, The New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future, London, Verso (2018), Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, Daniel Huttenlocher, The Age of AI: And Our Human Future, New York, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2021) Patricia MacCormack, Posthumanism: The Future of Homo Sapiens, Cambridge, Polity Press (2020), Stuart Russell, If We Succeed, New York, Penguin (2022), Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, New York, Random House (1970), Sherry Turkle, The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press (2005)

About the artist Pamela Breda:

Pamela Breda (IT) is an artist, filmmaker, and researcher, currently a Module Leader in Cinema at Arts University Bournemouth. Her research explores contemporary image-making, focusing on digital imagery’s impact on perception, memory, and how history is transformed through technological mediation. She has held residencies at Villa Medici (Rome), Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), and Pratt Institute (New York). Her films have been featured in global festivals, including Sheffield DocFest and Visions du Réel.