in::FORMATION

The Aesthetic Use of Machinic Beings

by James R. Hugunin

[The following text is an excerpt from the essay of the same name written by James R. Hugunin for the accompanying catalogue of the exhibition "in::FORMATION" held at the Betty Rymer Gallery, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, January 2000, and published in syne::apsis experiments: in::FORMATION (Chicago, IL: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2000).]

The group sine::apsis experiments is a network of artists---Valerie Sullivan Fuchs, Kevin Heisner, Dan Miller, Kym Olsen, Fernando Orellana, Sabrina Raaf, Lauren Was and Amy Youngs---that interface bodies and technologies. Steve Boyer and Kenneth E. Rinaldo, contemporary media artists, were invited by sine::apsis as special guests for "in::FORMATION," an exhibition of art that moves and makes artworks in the process. Often natural life processes are introduced into artificial media. The results are immersive and responsive art experiences generated by computer-mediated kinetic and interactive sound sculptures, light installations, experiments with microorganisms and performance works.

Besides pre-programmed activity, randomness is introduced into their works. Like scientists in cybernetics and sociobiology, these artists agree in that they see randomness not simply as a lacking pattern but as the creative ground from which patterns can emerge...They ask us to see technology and the human as contiguous, rather than opposed, and speculate upon the advent of new mutual evolution.

James R. Hugunin
454 Iowa Street
Oak Park, IL 60302
U.S.A.
E-mail: jhugunin@pcc.net.

[An earlier version of this essay was previously published on the website for U-turn E-zine though is no longer available.]

U-turn E-zine
http://www.uturn.org

The full version of this essay can be found at Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Vol. 7, No. 11 (1999).

Updated 21 March 2013