No Upload Required: Deepfakes, Centaurs, and the Language Model Body

Daniel Rourke

Meta.Morf 2024 – [up]Loaded Bodies / Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst, / Conference April 20 / Curator: Zane Cerpina

No Upload Required: Deepfakes, Centaurs, and the Language Model Body

Hans Moravec, in a flourish of 1980s techno-optimism, suggested that all we needed to live forever was to render ourselves computable. Retained as an information pattern in the 80s equivalent of The Cloud, for Moravec, our bodies were superfluous accessories, necessarily deconstructed – atom by atom – as we parsed the digital essences we were destined to become. This promise to ‘upload’ ourselves echoed a religious fantasy of transcendence, stretching back at least as far as Early 20th Century Cosmonautism, the Victorian obsession with electricity and spiritualism, and the Cartesian split of mind and body philosophized by Rene Descartes. When N. Katherine Hayles criticized the promise of Hans Moravec in her 1999 treatise on Posthumanism, she wove Moravec’s idea back into these histories, insisting that information could not be separated from its material base. In the 3rd decade of the 21st century, a new paradigm of computationality brings not just Moravec’s techno-Cartesianism, but also the ethical basis of Hayles’ material-Posthumanism into question. What need is there to upload your particular body when generative AI can conjure you a new one from latent space? When media headlines around the world registered the shock that Taylor Swift had been ‘deepfaked’ in early 2024, nobody considered how much of Swift herself was necessary to generate the pornographic image that traversed the internet. Probing the history of uploaded bodies, minds, and everything in between, this essay will try to parse a new kind of body, generated from data collected from many millions of unknown sources, and made lively with the deepfaked face of Taylor Swift. Whose body was actually AI-generated? Who gets to have such a body? Who had to have their body taken away? And what role does language have in the constitution of this new kind of shared body that seems to require no upload at all?

Daniel Rourke (UK) is a writer, artist, and educator based at Goldsmiths, University of London. In his work, Daniel creates collaborative frameworks and theoretical toolsets for exploring the intersections of digital materiality, the arts, and (critical) post-humanism. He is currently working on a speculative writing project perverting generative language models.

machinemachine.net / therourke.bsky.social

Header graphics: “No Upload Required”, courtesy of the artist.

RESURRECT.ME 2.0: Invoking the Dead, or on a Thousand (Tiny) Extinctions

Marietta Radomska

Meta.Morf 2024 – [up]Loaded Bodies / Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst / Conference April 20 / Curator: Zane Cerpina

RESURRECT.ME 2.0: Invoking the Dead, or on a Thousand (Tiny) Extinctions

What does resurrection mean in the digital era and beyond religious associations or sentimentality? The virtual and the physical are more entangled than they may seem, blurring the boundaries between the living and the non-living, or further: the dead. The environmental cost of generative AI might be one example. But digital worlds also play a special role in the context of the question of death as such. Around 20 years into the existence of Myspace, Facebook, and other social media platforms, these spaces have been populated by profiles of people long gone. On the other hand, digitalized venues of remembrance multiply: from digital ‘tombstones’ in China, through various memorial websites (commemorating humans and their nonhuman companions alike), to digital transformation of photography in the practices of remembering, like in the case of “New Dimensions of Testimony” by the Shoah Foundation, which enables interaction with holograms of Holocaust survivors. Yet, human (mass) death is not the only one that ‘materializes’ digitally. The Anthropocene necropolitics is being fleshed out in many ways: the sixth mass species extinction, extractivist capitalism- and war-induced ecocide, pollution, toxicity, and slaughter for the sake of slaughter. The more-than-human worlds are dying. While finding new ways of staying with and caring for ‘terminally ill’ environments – to paraphrase queer-ecocritical scholar Sarah Ensor – is a must, there is also a need for cultural and affective ways of working with the actual or potential loss, for communities to partake in. This is where the digital meets the physical, once again. Following this intuition, the present talk will zoom in on new-media artworks, design projects, or digital sound archives that venture into the living/non-living interface by bringing back to ‘life’ – even if for a brief moment – that which in one way or another has been marked as ‘extinct.’ Some of the examples include: Tanja Vujinovic’s “Carboflora,” a virtual environment populated by the plants of the Carboniferous period; C-Lab’s “The Living Dead: On the Trail of a Female,” which uses a drone with a multispectral camera to search for a potential last remaining female specimen of the “Encephalartos woodii” cycad – a plant species that does not exist in the wild; or Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg’s “The Substitute,” dealing with the extinction of the northern white rhinoceros. What do such projects tell us about practices of remembrance? How are they linked to the de-extinction movement? What do they tell us about our relation to that (more-than-human) which is gone? And perhaps, even more importantly, to that (more-than-human) which is not gone yet? Where does the boundary between the living and non-living run – if there is still one? Who is at the center of digitalized resurrections? These are some of the questions this talk aims to tackle.

Marietta Radomska (PL/SE), PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities at Department of Thematic Studies, Linköping University, SE; founding director of research platform The Eco- and Bioart Lab (https://ecobioartlab.net/); co-founder of Queer Death Studies Network (https://queerdeathstudies.net/); and member of Bioart Society (https://bioartsociety.fi/). She works at the intersection of environmental humanities, continental philosophy, feminist theory, queer death studies, visual culture, contemporary art, and artistic research. In the years 2017-2022, she led two research projects on ecologies of death, environmental violence, and contemporary art (funded by Vetenskapsrådet, FORMAS, and MISTRA), and since 2022 has been the PI of the research project “Ecological Grief, Crisis Imaginaries and Resilience in Nordic Lights” (2022-26), funded by FORMAS. Radomska is the author of “Uncontainable Life: A Biophilosophy of Bioart” (2016); co-editor of the book series “Focus on More-than-human Humanities” at Routledge (with C. Åsberg); co-editor of books: “State of the Art – Elements for Critical Thinking and Doing” (2023; with E. Berger, M. Kesi-Korsu and L. Thastum) and “Routledge Handbook of Queer Death Studies” (forthcoming 2025, with N. Lykke and T. Mehrabi); and has published in “Australian Feminist Studies; Somatechnics; Women, Gender & Research, Artnodes, Environment and Planning E, Research in Arts and Education,” among others. Personal web:

https://mariettaradomska.com/   | https://ecobioartlab.net/  | https://queerdeathstudies.net/

Header Graphics: “Humming”-detail, courtesy of the artist. Portrait photo courtesy of the artist. 

Gravitational Bodies

Marnix de Nijs

Meta.Morf 2024 – [up]Loaded Bodies / Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst / Conference April 19 / Curator: Zane Cerpina

Gravitational Bodies

In his presentation, Marnix de Nijs will focus on his full body installations that allow for different kinds of perception; installations that break away from the stable image we hold of reality and recalibrate our senses and our orientation in time and space. 

The interface between the body and technology forms an important basis for these works. Technology must literally merge, become absorbed into the body so that it becomes a co-determiner of perception. And here perception not only refers to how external stimuli are interpreted by the five senses, but also the feelings that come from within the body itself, the information that is derived from one’s own muscles and nerves. In many of his earlier works, participants are lured into physically demanding scenarios in order to immerse themselves in virtual environments, only to find out that the proprioceptional constraints of their physical bodies might hinder their full escape into virtual infinity. 

In its turn our presence in the virtual world, hanging out on the web, looking at camera and satellite data changes our perception of the world. It not only extends our world but it makes it’s physical dimensionality as we know it disappear. It’s pre-eminently the interrelation between these physical constraints and this extended world that Marnix gives an artistic form.

During the presentation, he will also provide an overview of the research and development behind his latest work, “Gravitational Bodies.” This piece merges the physical intensity of an ambiguous anti-gravity interface with visuals of generated landscapes. It offers a cinematic journey where one can transcend gravity, abandon the constraints of the physical body, and immerse oneself in a realm of digital infinity. However, upon returning and reuniting with the physical body left behind on the emergency stretcher in the exhibition space, one may realize that this corporeal form is what sets us apart from mere algorithms.

Marnix de Nijs (NL) b. 1970, is a Rotterdam-based installation artist. After graduating as a sculptor in 1992, he focused his early career on sculpture, public space, and architecture. Since the mid 90’s, he has been a pioneer in researching the experimental use of media and technologies in Art. His works include mainly interactively experienced machines that play with the perception and control of image and sound, but also radical and humorous pieces such as his Bullet Proof Tent and the Physiognomic Scrutinizer belong to his oeuvre.

Impelled by the idea that technology acts as a driving force behind cultural change and is therefore capable of generating new experiences where societal habits and communication are rethought, his work thrives on the creative possibilities offered by new media, while critically examining their impact on contemporary society and human perception.

To create his technologically complex installations, de Nijs often relies on close collaborations with media labs, universities, developers, engineers, and professionals from the film and game industry.

De Nijs’ works have been widely exhibited at international art institutes, museums, and festivals. He won the Art Future Award (Taipei 2000) and received honorable mentions at the Transmediale award ( Berlin 2000), the Vida 5.0 award (Madrid 2002), and Prix Ars Electronica ( Linz 2013, 2005 & 2001). In 2005, he collected the prestigious Dutch Witteveen & Bos Art and Technology Price 2005, for his entire oeuvre.

marnixdenijs.nl

Header graphics: “Gravitanioal Bodies” , courtesy of the artist.

Languaging AI: The Making of Behavioral Media

Martinus Suijkerbuijk

Meta.Morf 2024 – [up]Loaded Bodies / Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst / Conference April 20 / Curator: Zane Cerpina

Languaging AI: The Making of Behavioral Media

Still in its nascent phase, the evolution of Large Language Models (LLM) has already captivated the minds of CEOs and politicians, disrupted institutional infrastructures, and skyrocketed the valuation of startups and enterprises. Our exploration begins with the concept of ‘Languaging AI,’ a term that signifies the reciprocal and mutual structural couplings between humans and AI. It heralds a paradigmatic shift in the way we perceive and interact with AI media and, inversely, how AI media interacts with us. It revokes the ontological privilege that natural language belongs to the human alone, and that it has indeed crossed over to the domain of machines. This presentation delves into the heart of this transformation: the active engagement of technologies as dynamic participants in the creative and communicative process, negotiating the development of culture, now identified under the banner of Interactive AI. 

Interactive AI is set to define the new epoch of media interaction, birthing Behavioral Media (BM) as a collection of new media, characterized by a reciprocal cognitive modeling between AI agents and users, surpassing old paradigms of user-media interaction to enable a complex, two-way exchange of influence and adaptation. The protagonists of BM are LLM-based agents that evolve into dynamic narrative agents with the capability to transcend conceptual boundaries. These agents act as versatile intermediaries in conversations that span species, historical periods, and conceptual frameworks, enriching the nature of narrative interaction. Their introduction not only pushes the envelope in cognitive modeling but also redefines storytelling, enabling the creation of complex and interconnected narratives. This evolution signifies a profound change in how narratives are conceived, experienced, and shared, positioning LLM-based agents as pivotal in shaping the future of narrative engagement. 

This new generation of media is an evolutionary leap beyond the confines of traditional input-output mechanisms. These advanced models emerge as agents with a degree of autonomy, not merely facilitating but actively engaging with, contributing to, and shaping our dialogues, narratives, and artistic expressions. They become collaborators, intertwining with human creativity to navigate and knit together the rich tapestry of our

cultural heritage, spanning diverse epochs, styles, and narratives. This collaborative potential marks a departure from viewing technology as a tool, positioning it instead as an equal partner in the creative endeavor. 

Central to this paradigm is Behavioral Media’s impact on an industrial desire for emergent abilities—capabilities that are essentially indeterminate yet drive a techno-political ideology aimed at uncovering new possibilities and capacities. 

During the presentation, the theoretical findings are coupled with a functional prototype: the artistic research project by the author “TuringGaia: Entering Thermodome,” featured at Meta.Morf 2024. This project illustrates how LLMs function as dynamic narrative agents, capable of navigating complex storytelling ecosystems that meld conceptual, historical, and biological threads, all while maintaining a connection to the human through natural language.

Martinus Suijkerbuijk’s (NL/NO) diverse background forms the blueprint of his artistic practice. He holds a degree in Automation Engineering and Industrial Design. In 2017, he graduated from the International MFA program at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts, where he is also currently a PhD candidate. His work is best understood as an experimental practice that connects, translates, and operates across the borders of different media, artistic genres, and disciplines. Within his practice, he explores the fringes of art, technology, and philosophy through the potential of alliances and collaborations. His technical background has enabled him to work across industries. He has been invited to present his research and work at art institutions (ZKM, Sónar+D Barcelona, Meta.Morf 2020) as well as technology conferences (CHI 2018, Philips Trend Event). Presently, his artistic research centers around the possibilities of Artificial Aesthetic Agents through AI technologies and gaming engines.

martinussuijkerbuijk.net

Dancing in XR – Embodied Experiences in Extended Reality

Paula Strunden

Meta.Morf 2024 – [up]Loaded Bodies / Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst / Conference April 19 / Curator: Zane Cerpina

Dancing in XR – Embodied Experiences in Extended Reality

This talk explores the intricacies of embodied spatial perception within the realm of extended reality (XR). Drawing from her Ph.D. research, Paula Strunden navigates the convergence of architecture, spatial computing, and human experience to challenge conventional notions of virtuality and embodiment. Beginning by examining the pioneering VR works by Brenda Laurel, Char Davies, and Rebecca Allen, Strunden underscores the foundational role of female artists in reshaping our understanding of virtual technologies. These artists developed techniques that allowed immersants to navigate virtual worlds intuitively, incorporating interfaces utilizing touch, breath, smell, and balance, in the early 1990s when the term ’embodied virtuality’ was coined.

Introducing the concept of performative 1:1 extended-reality models (XRMs), Strunden illustrates how XRMs offer multisensory experiences that blur traditional boundaries between the actual and the virtual. The talk culminates in an exploration of three prototypical XRMs: “Rhetorical Bodies,” “Infra-thin Magick,” and “Alison’s Room,” each providing unique insights into spatial perception in XR and demonstrating the transformative potential of XRMs in shaping our understanding of spatio-temporal dimensions, both real and virtual.

Focusing on the collaborative XR dance performance “Rhetorical Bodies,” Strunden elaborates on the process of how to combine full body tracking, interactive sounds, and soft body dynamics, to bridge two dancing bodies and translate their physical movements into expressive auditory experiences. Immersants transform into embodied synthesizers, catalyzing dynamic soundscapes with their actions and movements, encouraged to transcend conventional notions of virtuality and explore new forms of hybrid intimacy within the virtual domain. As immersants engage with “Rhetorical Bodies,” they are invited to challenge bodily boundaries, navigate identity fluidity, and explore the realm of their virtual selves. In this performative XRM, audience participation is pivotal, transforming the solitary VR experience into a participatory performance and captivating theatrical spectacle. 

Finally, the audience is invited to imagine futures where virtual technologies enhance rather than diminish our connection to the physical world, emphasizing the importance of holistic and sustainable approaches to spatial design. By embracing embodied virtuality and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, Strunden envisions a future where XR technology enriches our lived experiences and deepens our connection to the world around us.

Paula Strunden (DE) is a transdisciplinary XR artist with a background in architecture. She studied in Vienna, Paris, and London and worked at Raumlabor Berlin and Herzog & de Meuron Basel. Since 2020, she has been conducting her design-led Ph.D. as part of the Horizon 2020 European research network TACK at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her work specializes in embodied and multisensory virtuality, exploring the intersection of architecture, spatial computing, and human experience. Her performative XR installations have been exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Royal Academy of Arts London, Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam, and Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam, and nominated for the Dutch Film Award “Gouden Calf” in 2020 and 2023. Through her internet platform, www.xr-atlas.org, she advocates for interdisciplinary historiography of virtual technologies and furthers the recognition of female pioneers in the history of VR.

paulastrunden.com

Header Photo: Tu Hoang performing ‘Rhetorical Bodies’ by Paula Strunden at MU Hybrid Art House, 2023 © Hanneke Wetzer.