Sentience and Trans-Species Collaboration: Considering the Aims, Desires and Perceptual Landscapes of the Non-Human
Symposium:
Presentation Title:
- Sentience and Trans-Species Collaboration: Considering the Aims, Desires and Perceptual Landscapes of the Non-Human
Presenter(s):
Abstract:
Artists and researchers work with living and semi-living organisms for many reasons. In 2004, the artist and theorist Roy Ascott coined the term “moist media” to represent the convergence between dry computational systems and wet biological processes. Ascott saw moist media as a way of extending the sensorium of the self. Some makers may utilize these materials to explore issues in the anthropocene that are faced by humans and non-humans alike, while others may be motivated by the aesthetics of life itself.
What do these artworks, studies, and designs tell us about the aims, desires, and perceptual landscapes of the non-human? This panel will explore sentience in our companion species through the work of five contemporary new media artists working with living and semi-living organisms. In their presentations, these artist-researchers will share what they have learned about sentience in other species from working in a non-anthropocentric framework. The panel will also consider the issues involved in collaborating with life, animal rights in the studio, and what our companion species can teach us about living systems.
