BOGLARKA SZELES
Combatting Our Disconnection from Organic Realities Through Engaging with Interdisciplinary Art
May 2025
Fine Art BA Hons
Dissertation
DOI 10.20933/100001379
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Combatting Our Disconnection from Organic Realities Through Engaging with Interdisciplinary Art
Fine Art (Hons)
Word count: 6526
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Fine Art
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
University of Dundee 2025
Abstract
In this dissertation, I will be discussing current and past works spanning modern and contemporary timelines in the interdisciplinary field. I will be taking a closer look at artists who digest data from diverse sources including organic and synthetic realities. To illustrate ideas among the artists mentioned I will be applying philosophical ideas derived from Patrick Curry on Ecological Ethics and Donna Haraway and Sadie Plant on Cyberfeminism Focusing on the database aspect of the chosen works, my last chapter will encompass culturally significant details within Data Art that showcase that it was not only used by contemporaries to represent information but has been a crucial part of understanding concepts within sciences throughout history. The artists whose works I will be analysing in detail are Eduardo Kac, Neri Oxman, Prima Murthy, Tabita Rezaire, Semiconductor and Ryoji Ikeda. I will be approaching their analysis by associating them with movements such as Bio Art for Kac and Oxman, and assigning Murthy and Rezaire to the Cyberfeminist era. Semiconductor and Ikeda will be categorised with a unification of the Land Art and the Data Art movement. I will be emphasizing the similarities between their creative process, either collaborating with professionals from diverse fields or utilising technological tools. In the end explaining the significance and influence of the aforementioned artworks on various infrastructures within society, urging to think critically and question current political, economic, social and cultural systems.
Figure 1
List of Illustrations
Eduardo Kac 'The Eighth Day' (2001) multimedia installation, image courtesy Eduardo Kac 9
Figure 2
Mediated Matter Group 'Vespers' series (2016-2018)
3D printed masks with living bio organisms, image courtesy Yoram Reshef 11
Figure 3
VNS Matrix 'A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century' (1992) digital collage, image courtesy VNS Matrix Merchants of Slime .......................................... 14
Figure 4
Prima Murthy 'Bindigirl' (1999) a screenshotted part of the website, image courtesy Net Art Organisation ............................. 15
Figure 5
Tabita Rezaire 'Sugar Walls Teardom' (2016) gynaecological chair, mechanical arm and HD video, 218 x 162 x 85 cm, image courtesy Goodman Gallery 17
Figure 6
Michael A. Noll 'Computer Composition with Lines' (1964) Gelatin silver print, 76 x 76 cm, image courtesy Los Angeles County Museum of Art 19
Figure 7
Piet Mondrian 'Composition with Lines' (1917) Oil on canvas, 180 x 180 cm, image courtesy Kröller-Müller Museum .................................. 19
Figure 8
Semiconductor 'Earthworks' (2016) 5 channel computer generated animation with 4 channel surround sound, image courtesy Semiconductor ................................................................................................ 20
Figure 9
Ryoji Ikeda 'data.flux [LED version]' (2021) audiovisual installation, image courtesy Alternative Kyoto (2021) ......................................... 22
Figure 10
Ryoji Ikeda 'supersymmetry[experience]' (2014) audiovisual installation, photo: Ryuichi Maruo, image courtesy Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM) 23
Introduction
In my dissertation, I will be discussing the positive outcomes of reducing unnecessary boundaries between fields of subjects such as science and art along with technology and biology. I desire to highlight parallels between these areas through analysis of artworks fuelled by philosophical theories of Ecocentrism and Cyberfeminism.
In my first chapter, I will be exploring the change of mindset needed for the betterment of society, specifically endorsing Ecological Ethics such as Ecocentrism over Anthropocentrism. By defining the terms which are talked about, I aim to pinpoint the exact differences between them. I will be reviewing how in the current age of Anthropocene, human influence over the environment has become visible, assigning the root cause to industrial advancements with the invasive capitalist mentality. Applying Aldo Leopold’s theory of inducing empathy in people experiencing invisible phenomena by making it visible, I create the base of the question: Why is interdisciplinary art that discusses non-artistic subjects essential for enlightenment? Afterwards, I will be looking at Bio Art examples of visualising concepts relating to organic phenomena. Beginning by looking closely at Eduardo Kac’s oeuvre, the person to coin the term Bio Art and critically analysing his piece ’The Eighth Day’ (2001) Introducing a more contemporary example of a Bio Artist I will be discussing Neri Oxman’s influence on the design and art world, pioneering material ecology being the first to coin the expression. I will be providing a detailed analysis of her ‘Vespers’ series which she created with her former group based at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) called Mediated Matter Group. Bringing into light the radical ideas of both artists, Oxman who utilises biomimicry and Kac who shares Ecocentric ideals I will share their successes of interdisciplinary collaboration The second chapter will focus on the Cyberfeminist movement, the origin of the term and its key influences such as Donna Haraway, Sadie Plant and VNS Matrix. Including women of colour as examples of how intersectional Cyberfeminism manifests itself and processes modern problems. Firstly, analysing Prima Murthy’s ‘Bindigirl’, focusing on the fetishisation of South Asian women and the effects of cyberporn. Tabita Rezaire (1989-), another contemporary Cyberfeminist will be discussed, specifically, her piece entitled ‘Sugar Walls Teardom’ (2016.), evidencing the exploitation of black slavery in 19th century America, and representing techno-ecofeminist activism The third chapter will talk about the most current discoveries and projects involving Data Art and the utilisation of scientific areas in art. Pointing out the trend of data artists like the Semiconductor duo consisting of Ruth
Jarman and Joe Gerhardt, and solo artist Ryoji Ikeda whose topics and aesthetics relate closely to each other. Focusing on Semiconductor’s ‘Earthworks’ project and Ikeda’s ‘datametics’ (2006) and ‘supersymmetry’ (2014-15), showcasing both their scientific and artistic Land Art elements. Their shared attribute within their creative practice is their aim to represent scientific concepts without a background in science, challenging the segregation of the artistic and scientific fields and proposing a different way of illustrating natural phenomena. By dividing my discussion into three chapters I aim to summarize the most prominent inspirations in interdisciplinary practice and its advancements in each field of practice Closely relating to my creative process in terms of philosophies and techniques I will be considering possibilities of presentation, medium, technique and involvement of community as well as articulation of concepts. Personally taking advantage of multidisciplinary ways of creation, and collaborating with non-artistic counterparts, I find it an eye-opening opportunity, where versatile knowledge is desired or otherwise achieved through the collaboration. Ultimately siding with Haraway’s ideas derived from the Cyborg Manifesto subscribing to the antidualistic concept of “neither/both” instead of “either/or”.
By placing these artists in the same context, I wish to establish my standpoint of prioritising the reduction of boundaries between subjects. Showcasing how collaboration between opposing sides can nurture radically new concepts, which will catalyse discoveries and aid critical thinking. I will be offering a diverse collection translating masses of data from different sources in a variety of mediums that are both digital and analogue. All examples point to solutions for our disconnection from organic realities by advocating for interdisciplinary collaboration within artistic circumstances
Ecocentrism vs. Anthropocentrism
Anthropocentrism meaning human-centeredness prevents humans from being looked at as part of a puzzle for a greater system as Patrick Curry put it “the unjustified privileging of human beings, as such, at the expense of other forms of life ” (Curry, 2011 p. 55) We equate humanism with value and at the same time place other species below us in the order of consciousness measure Although it may seem that Anthropocentrism benefits the human species more, along with oppressing any other life-form it ends up exploiting the humans as well. Ecocentrism is “the ethical belief that assigns inherent value to both individual living beings and entire ecosystems, considering them as ends in themselves rather than as means to human ends.” (Science Direct, 2025) This is done not by devaluing human life, but by prioritising the safekeeping of our future environment over exploitative economic growth It is important to note that humans are inherently part of nature, even though historically we have made copious number of attempts to rise above it. Ecocentrism endorses the reinforcement of this ancient bond.
According to Macdonald (2021) “Three-quarters of the land environments, and twothirds of marine environments, have been severely altered to date by human actions, causing devastating ‘losses’ (i.e. destruction) of interconnected webs of wild creatures, and humans.” We have entered the age of the Anthropocene where some actions which have already been showing their consequences cannot be undone. It is essential to keep having conversations about the topic of climate change. Some contemporaries have decided to try and find solutions to these issues and fine artists continue to sustain discourse about the deterioration of our environment. I will be discussing examples of this in all my chapters. Since the First Industrial Revolution (1733-1913) we have believed to be headed in the direction of progression trusting the process of inventions that have made us require less physical effort in our everyday lives. By embracing this daydream of individualistic heroism, we have lost touch with the reality of our situation. In Patricia Macdonald’s book about the Anthropocene (2021) she quotes Aldo Leopold, the conservationist: “we can only be ethical toward what we can see”. The role of the artist, the “visualiser” comes into play, where we can use our ability to translate collective phenomena into impactful pieces to be shown to the public to stimulate the debate.
One of these “visualisers” of environmental ecosystems is Eduardo Kac, the artist who coined the term Bio Art in 1997, he has contextualised a movement brought forward by scientific developments of the 20th century. Kac himself has contributed to this by creating
works such as ‘Genesis’ (1999) and ‘GFP Bunny’ (2000) utilising green fluorescent protein (GFP). The 1999 art piece incorporated a quote from the biblical book of Genesis: “Let man have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth”. (Britton et al, 2003) Translating the sentence into Morse Code, Kac was able to create a synthetic gene out of it, by converting the code into DNA base pairs. As the DNA was placed into bacteria, mutations would occur due to exposure to ultraviolet light and the original meaning of the text could be changed. The work explores progression through interpreting Genesis as informational technology and scientific revolution, generating a new context for the biblical scripture and denying human dominion.
Juxtaposing biblical symbolism and science ‘The Eighth Day’ (2001) is a transgenic installation that draws on ecological and evolutionary subjects discussed in Kac’s earlier works such as the ‘GFP Bunny’ (2001) The title itself is a reference to Judeo-Christian scriptures, suggesting an eighth day after the seventh criticising the Bible and its anti-evolutionary worldviews, contrasting it with scientific methods Kac’s collaboration with the Institute for Studies in the Arts for his installation enabled him to work with geneticists Dr. Alan Rawls and Jeanne Wilson-Rawls. Their collaboration was crucial to his artistic process, providing it with scientifically credible research while following University protocols within the laboratory. The two geneticists having helped recruit scientists through their extensive network, they were able
Figure 1 Eduardo Kac 'The Eighth Day' (2001) multimedial installation, image courtesy Eduardo Kac
to collaborate as a team of artistic and scientific professionals to bring Kac’s idea to life. ‘The Eighth Day’ installation was situated in the centre of a room where viewers were led by going through a hallway with projections of water reflection. Inside the space, they could see the GFP creature-filled dome that had a diverse group of transgenic life forms including mice, zebrafish, tobacco plants and Dictyostelium discoideum otherwise known as slime mould In the middle of the terrarium, there was a “biological robot” that would respond to amoeba division inside the slime mould located in the robot’s body The movements of the slime mould would then cause dynamic action by triggering the robot’s legs, recreating a chain of events as a synthetic nervous system. A diverse array of senses was integrated into the “biobot” one of them being an interactive web interface which was implanted inside it People that were present in the physical installation and participants online could perceive the built environment from this interface Another of the robot’s features was two miniature video cameras, allowing the participants to closely spectate the inside of the dome, interacting with the biological robot’s system.
In many of Kac’s exhibitions including this one, the audience is urged to question their corporeality, transcending space through telecommunication and merging with the selfcontained artificial ecology From the perspective of the online participants joining through the video cameras, the physical viewers inside the space are also observed as if they were interconnected with the environment inside the dome. “The Eighth Day and Kac’s ongoing work with transgenics is a call for an ethical dialogue that seeks to mitigate how humans, plants, and animals cohabit the planet.” (Collins in Britton et al, 2003, p.102) Kac being a conceptual artist who assigns philosophical ideas to his artistic projects he often critiques Judeo-Christian ideals, questioning human dominion over the Earth’s organisms, placing people in both superior and inferior positions. His philosophies follow Haraway’s key ideas of the Cyborg Manifesto “instead of either/or they are neither/both”. (Bell, D. ,2007, p.107) Rejecting dualistic views by not adhering to just one role of being a scientist or an artist and blurring the lines between synthetic and organic organisms he represents the cyborgian ethics of Haraway
To fully immerse ourselves in the mindset of serving society and the environment through the engagement of art it is beneficial to adopt philosophies of Ecocentrism over Anthropocentrism to de-centralise the self and the individual. By taking a step forward from the age of the Anthropocene we would preferably be entering the Ecozoic stage, a term invented by Thomas Berry, “a time in which all life-forms are understood as part of the entire system to which they belong”. (Adam Nicolson and J.J. Harrison in Macdonald, 2021)
There have been creatives who have implemented this strategy of contemplating entire systems when making instead of focusing on a part of the puzzle. Coining the term material ecology, Neri Oxman is a contemporary artist, designer, architect and scientist with an Ecocentric approach. Works like the ‘Silk Pavili on ’ (2013) have endorsed a more naturally sustainable way of production and redirected the intention of design by finding novel solutions to modern problems. Oxman founded and led the Mediated Matter Group (2010-2021) crossing digital fabrication, synthetic biology, computational design and materials science to nurture the relationship between organic and man-made environments and objects. In 2016 they exhibited their ‘Dermi Domus’ collection consisting of wearable organisms which were 3D-printed using heterogenous materials.
Figure 2 Mediated Matter Group 'Vespers' series (2016-2018) 3D printed masks with living bioorganisms, image courtesy Yoram Reshef
Among them was the ‘Vespers’ (2016-2018) series which I will be talking about in more detail. This collection of masks comprises three concepts, all inspired by the ancient death masks that capture the negative of a deceased person’s visage by moulding a wax impression and sustaining a memory of them ‘Vespers I’ is concerned with the death mask as a cultural relic viewed through a modern lens where it is not the face that is captured, but life itself from the past. Programming life and death the pattern of these masks is computationally generated through an algorithm that emulates cellular subdivision Originally part of religious practice, ancient death masks were made to remember iconic members of society such as King Tutankhamun (c. 1341 BC – c.1323 BC) whose mask was ornated with precious stones and minerals. The conceptual pieces made by Oxman’s team have five colour combinations that were commonly found in different religious practices not connected to time or place, the artefacts are embedded with natural minerals like bismuth, silver and gold. Serving as the beginning and the experimental stages for the series we then transition into ‘Vespers II’, the
metamorphosis series. The second series is made using Data-driven Material Modelling (DdMM), this method enables the group to evaluate how to distribute heterogeneous material across the 3D-printed facial sculpture. They use complex computationally generative processes to accurately represent structures found in nature where heterogenic materials within one organism are constructed in a way that maximises its efficiency. “Material is concentrated in regions of high strength and dispersed in areas where stiffness is not required.” (Oxman, 2010) A good example of this is the biological material wood, possessing the ability to fabricate material structuring within one organism While their form in the second series was conceptually grown in a programme, the third series of masks, ‘Vespers III’ incorporate living organisms within them to produce natural pigments instead of artificial colouring. The static structure contrasted with dynamic bacterial growth, but existing in the same context the concept juxtaposes the notion of life and death. Generating a new class of materials termed Hybrid Living Materials, the genetically programmed E. coli bacteria react to bio-signal encrypted within the canals of the mask. Instead of manipulating the colour of the organism itself, the digitally fabricated artefact directs the living component to transform it into the intended colour. This project, along with Oxman’s newer creations, proposes an inverted order of importance for design, taking inspiration from biological processes Oxman prioritises materiality instead of the architecture of the form that is being constructed. She promotes the use of heterogenous materials in contemporary designs instead of homogenous ones, closely inspecting the true intention of an object and engineering the best material for its purpose. By adopting the order of creation from nature, considering the afterlife of a product, and using modern technology, Oxman along with her group of scientists and designers implements this organic order of making. She is a pioneer of sustainable thinking for constructing structures and materials and is a great example of multidisciplinary collaboration showing us alternative solutions and realities to our contemporary problems. “Among other contributions, material-based design computation promotes a design approach through digital fabrication of heterogeneous materials customised to fit their structural and environmental functions.” (Oxman, 2010) Perfecting their customisation would prevent unnecessary features of a structure from being made, reducing its waste factor. This is what Oxman suggests with her projects which are on the borderline of Fine Art, science, architecture and design. She does not subscribe to one field and instead chooses to amalgamate multiple ones fit for that specific project prioritising the nurturing of the entire system.
Cyberfeminism
Haraway’s ‘Cyborg Manifesto’ (1985) criticises the simple binary logic that Western modernity has used as a way of knowing. Further explaining how the cyborg identifies as neither/both instead of either/or. She paints the cyborg “as a figure of irony, but also of hope”. (Haraway, 2016) The cyborg is non-innocent, blasphemous and unfaithful, not necessarily the cyborg illustrated in popular culture, but constructed on her terms. Haraway uses the word cyborg to define a new generation of thinkers that have less policed and more open access sources available for them to use. They are connected to the internet, less religious and more critical. She uses a cyber-utopian lens to imagine a world that is outside the confines of gender or any borders at all. The cyborg does not appropriate nature and does not need an oedipal figure to please, it only strives for connection. “I long for models of solidarity and human unity and difference rooted in friendship, work, partially shared purposes, intractable collective paint, inescapable morality, and persistent hope.” (Haraway in Bell D., 2007) Although its origins are based in militarism and patriarchal capitalism, the cyborg as an illegitimate offspring without need for a patriarchal figure remains disloyal. Becoming independent of past philosophies. Donna Haraway has had an immense amount of influence on philosophers and thinkers, like Sadie Plant who has published numerous articles and books related to Cybernetics and has used examples of the history of Computer Science and Women’s Rights to draw parallels. In a conference held at the ICA London titled ‘Towards the Aesthetics of the Future’ (1994) her radical ideas were faced with criticism. A common debating point brought up was that Cyberfeminism suggests that by interacting with the network the user gets freed from their material body. I believe the key points of Cyberfeminist philosophies get misinterpreted, rather than the spiritualised idea of turning immaterial in a material world they intend to unveil the oppression of the patriarchy by using analogies that draw from the operation of cybernetics. Like self-organising systems, a programmed code does what is right according to its parameters without doubt, not raising questions if it is correct or not. Addressing the utopian fantasy of new technology, Plant states that it will not make anything happen by itself. (ICA 1994) Meaning that technology needs to be regarded as a tool and not a saviour.
Figure 3 VNS Matrix 'A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century' (1992) digital collage, image courtesy VNS Matrix Merchants of Slime
Creatives like VNS Matrix have used technology as a tool and a medium for their work. The artist collective was founded in 1991 and are credited as the first artists to use the term Cyberfeminism. (Monoskop, 2024) The founding members of the collective are Josephine Starrs, Julianne Pierce, Francesca da Rimini and Virginia Barratt. They published their highly influential piece ‘A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century’ in 1992 both online and on a billboard in Sydney, Australia. The digital version is still available to access on their website. Building on Haraway’s ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’, the VNS Matrix manifesto’s language is cybertechnological and over-sexualised, proposing a tyrannical perspective heavily influenced by science fiction imagery. Artistic practices in Cyberfeminism rely on information flow, using the internet, billboards, and channels of distribution denying patriarchal society’s segregation and censorship. Their values are anti-control, repurposing propaganda for their own goal. In their collaborative works, VNS Matrix incorporates Cyberfeminist world-building establishing power dynamics between characters such as the “modern cunt” and “Big Daddy Mainframe” otherwise known as “BDM”
Figure 4 Prima Murthy 'Bindigirl' (1999) a screenshotted part of the website, image courtesy Net Art Organisation
When addressing gender politics there is also a need to speak about intersectionality within Cyberfeminism Prima Murphy’s ‘Bindigirl’ (1999) is a website-based artwork illuminating the issues of the import of women, exotification and exploitation of especially women of colour. Her solo pieces address the issues faced by South Asian women, being of Indian descent herself, her body serves as a tool for her performances and photography. The website aims to recreate and comment on existing pornographic webpages which benefit from the ethnoracial othering of Asian women, Murthy does so in a satirical manner Upon entering the ‘Bindigirl’ website there are two texts that welcome you, a quote from the Kama Sutra and an age restriction warning By including both textual artefacts they become juxtaposed, the first establishing the website creator’s standpoint and its cultural significance. Murthy taking inspiration from Western cyberporn, by including the warning text establishes the possibility of seeing pornographic content. The second paragraph mocks the first one as well as recreating the general fetishisation of South Asian culture. The symbol of Bindi is used throughout the artwork as a form of censorship, placing red dots on the intimate body parts of “Bindigirl”. The red dot acts as an interactive feature of the website that can be triggered upon being pressed. Hovering over the red dot the word goddess changes to whore, embodying the paradox of misogynistic duality and simplification expected from women staying untouched yet seductive.
Images of Murthy show up with excerpts from the Kama Sutra regarding the proper behaviour of courtesans, their priority being to please the man. Clicking on “Bindigirl” a menu pops up consisting of the service offered on the website, this window features a bio of Bindi, how religion and technology both failed her in her attempts at self-liberation, drawing on the male fantasy of a helpless maiden. Murthy proclaims in an interview “It is not technology itself, or religion for that matter, that has failed Bindi, but those people who use them as a means to keep in place existing structures that reject diversity and a sharing of power.” (Rhizone, 2024)
Besides Bindi there is a pictorial collection of South Asian porn stars, all of them individually paired with quotes from the Kama Sutra expressing the admiration of female bodies and their sanctity. Murthy ingeniously incorporates the irony of associating these erotically suggestive images of women with ancient literature, and offering the site visitors souvenirs to purchase, materialising an immaterial event and further affirming the site’s “exoticism” and passivity To make the site even more convincing with pop-up windows we come across a “LoveChat” room option, containing an alleged conversation between Bindi or “Sweetheart” and “Wellhung”, the male counterpart. It is a parody that appropriates language usually found in roleplay chatrooms, denying the viewer of their fantasy and indirectly shaming the male counterpart by publicly sharing a supposedly made-up dialogue. Thus, the domination is disrupted, and the potential consumer is asked to reflect. Looking at cyberspace from the perspective of a woman of colour, the cyber utopian fantasies of Cyberfeminist ideals place into light the need for mentioning artists of diverse lived experiences, from a wide range of backgrounds. By introducing a different cultural a societal perspective Murthy manages to address the subject of race and corporeality in cyberspace
Another example of intersectional Cyberfeminism that leans into techno-eco feminism introduced by Yvonne Volkart (1963-) is the artistry of Tabita-Rezaire, a French Guianese and Danish Black female artist born in 1989. Combining visualisations of organic, electronic and spiritual practices she urges us to “tackle the pervasive matrix of coloniality”. (Rezaire, no date)
Crossing the paths of technology and spirituality to “nourish visions of connection and emancipation”. (Rezaire, no date) She is an interdisciplinary artist using immersive installations, performance art, video and the internet to interchange hegemonic narratives with the holistic approach of interconnected realities. She is inspired by indigenous, African and nonWestern ancestral informational sources that were marginalised and silenced for centuries, and she uses them to challenge current power structures Associating digital technologies with spirituality and healing she assembles tools of resistance to be used against colonial concepts.
5 Tabita Rezaire 'Sugar Walls Teardom' (2016) gynaecological chair, mechanical arm and HD video, 218 x 162 x 85 cm, image courtesy Goodman Gallery
One of Rezaire’s works entitled ‘Sugar Walls Teardom’ (2016) addresses Sims’ gynaecological experiments conducted on black women by force that resulted in femicide as it had only three survivors. The installation was shown in Johannesburg, South Africa consisting of a pink-coloured room, perhaps symbolic of the colour of the womb and non-traditional to the green and white walls of a medical institution, along with a pink gynaecological chair.
Beside the analogue object, there is a digital one, a television screen playing Rezaire’s audiovisual piece. This pink chair is the primal symbol of the video collage, signifying the artificiality and pathologisation of birth endorsed by Western medicine. We are taken on a decolonialised and spiritual journey telling the story of how thousand-year-old processes have been taken over by modern medicine. J. Marion Sims often regarded as the father of modern gynaecology is mentioned in Rezaire’s video, she condemns him for his experiments on enslaved women that started in 1845 and ended in 1849. Cronin (2020) raises concerns regarding Sims’ reliability as an author, mixing up names of the enslaved women, and only referring to three of the survivors’ names while operating on approximately nine over the course of four years. “He […] recorded that Anarcha had 29 failed operations before the successful one. Over a four-year period, she endured 29 failed operations on her vagina, without
Figure
anaesthesia, before success was achieved. He offers no specifics for the other women…” (Cronin, 2020) Some medical papers aim to defend his actions and stress taking into consideration the cultural and historical circumstances of Sims: “If we judge the past on the basis of present assumptions rather than attempt to understand how those who lived in the past saw, experienced and interpreted their circumstances, it is easy to become angry.” (Wall, 2021) The paper by Wall speculates, based on Sims’ perspective, that the practice was collaborative and consensual, although at the time slaves had no legal rights or bodily autonomy and their “owners” could give consent instead of the person receiving the medical services Sims also operated with no anaesthetics, although twelve months after he began experimentation “ether had been successfully demonstrated as an anaesthetic.” (Cronin, 2020) Rezaire raises this matter through a techno-spiritual lens, focusing on the collective issue of exploitation of women of colour in a cathartic way. She manages to visually and verbally translate globally present human rights violations using tragicomedy as her medium. In ‘Sugar Walls Teardom’ Rezaire proposes for us to return to the indigenous practice of orgasmic birth, which enables the pregnant person to experience a less invasive and painful child delivery. Her practice of using digital mediums to spread ancient practices also serves as a form of activism, advocating for decolonised information and healing as resistance. “A decolonial liveness […] produces a continuous creation of difference which is unwilling to fit into existing categories of modernity that Rezaire, too, hopes to leave behind.” (Morais dos Santos Bruss, 2024) Deflecting dualistic categorisation, Rezaire continues to conceptualise works where timeframes clash, and history is revised. Prioritising data flow, similar to practices of VNS Matrix and Prima Murthy she aims to debunk patriarchal propaganda through Cyberfeminist aesthetics and ideas.
The Art of Data
Art has been used to communicate data for centuries, polyhistorians like Da Vinci and Cajal have both made graphic illustrations to explain biological structures within the human body, specifically anatomy and neuroscience. Further evidence in data technologies stemming from organic systems is drawn from Norbert Weiner’s (1894-1964) “comparative study of different communication and control systems, such as the computer and the human brain” (Paul, 2003) otherwise known as the man-computer symbiosis.
Figure 7 Michael A. Noll 'Computer Composition with Lines' (1964) Gelatin silver print, 76 x 76 cm, image courtesy Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Figure 6 Piet Mondrian 'Composition with Lines' (1917) Oil on canvas, 180 x 180 cm, image courtesy Kröller-Müller Museum
Databases can serve as the source of an artistic concept to be translated visually, one of the earliest computer-generated artworks was created by Michael A. Noll (1939-) Noll’s ‘Computer Composition with Lines’ (1964) is inspired by Piet Mondrian’s ‘Composition with Lines’ (1917) These two artworks are almost identical except Noll’s was made solely with the help of mathematics and information technology. Today, one does not need to be a mathematician to create digital art, computers have become widely accessible with connection to the internet and most processes have evolved to be automated. At present, you do not have to possess a deep knowledge of programming to use a computer. However, there are plenty of examples in Data Art of science and art collaborations between professionals in both fields Alexandra Supper concludes in her essay ‘Singing Data: Sonification and the Reflection between Science and Art’ (Weibel, 2013) that data sonification processes can “stimulate epistemological and ontological reflection, and to second-guess taken-for-granted scientific
assumptions and conventions…” (Weibel, 2013) In other words, professionals within contrasting disciplines can offer one another a new perspective and offer space for critical questions. This is becoming a trend amongst contemporaries, making use of the heightened accessibility of technologies that could only be reached by the extremely privileged.
Semiconductor is a British artist duo, founded 25 years ago, with members Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt. Intersecting science and technology with human experience their interdisciplinary practice involves data sonification and visualisation, feeding physicality into the non-tangible territory of data. One of their aims is to convey science as a “ tool for questioning…” rather than the “nature that we’re directly experiencing.” (Jarman on Fabrica Gallery, 2020)
Figure 8 Semiconductor 'Earthworks' (2016) 5 channel computer generated animation with 4 channel surround sound, image courtesy Semiconductor
Their 2016 installation ‘Earthworks’ features an audiovisual animation through a fivechannel computer showcasing seismic data of land formation and movement Specifically looking at seismic data from glaciers, volcanos, quarries and earthquakes, Semiconductor was able to translate this information directly into audio as seismic data is already extracted in waveforms. The installation perfectly demonstrates the communicative element in all data sonification processes, utilising archival or presently compiled datasets to address natural
phenomena. In this case, the geological timeframe or deep time, an otherwise invisible process on a human scale, is converted to a form which does not need extensive data interpretation to intake Semiconductor ’s intention with this language is to “get people to engage with the idea of the Anthropocene…” to realise “…the impact that we are having on the Earth long-term.” (Jarman on Fabrica Gallery, 2020) Semiconductor, in a contemporary techno-eco artistic attempt, brings notions of the Land Art movement into the gallery space, incorporating organic aesthetics and sources into their digital technological mediums. In ‘Earthworks’ specifically, the visual animation connected to the audio manages to represent the progression of the underground movement in an organic manner, taking advantage of the overpowering size of the screen The different layers of the image shown are generated through an algorithm that directly converts the seismic data into visual animation and in turn, fabricates a synesthetic experience. This allows the installation to be perceived primarily in an artistic way, providing the audience with scientific data shown in another light and stimulating a different understanding of science. One of the main questions that the duo focuses on is “how we can experience things that are beyond the limits of our perception” (Jarman on Fabrica Gallery, 2020), developing an artistic lens through which people can view science and digest it. Science and art can merge because there are many similarities between the two, effectively shown by Semiconductor. “Both are concerned at the deepest level, with the expression of fundamental truths in some form: insights about ourselves, about the world around us, about the nature of nature itself. Both seek to enlighten, illuminate and enable people to better comprehend themselves, their world and their relationship to it. In short, they attempt to promote a deeper understanding of everything.” (Richard and Farina, 2018)
Being on the borderline of art and science, Ryoji Ikeda (1966-) began as a DJ in the Tokyo Club scene as an electronic music composer, pioneering minimal experimental techno music. The Japanese artist living in France, currently uses data sonification and visualisation as his artistic medium, outsourcing a wide range of data such as astronomic, biological, geographical or medical. Ultimately only using computers as translators of all data that he acquires he composes sound that is unrelated to musical theory, an abstract collage of sinusoidal waves and white noise that represent information. Ikeda’s oeuvre constitutes an experimentation of how technologically produced physical phenomena affect the physiological and subjective experience of the audience. Transgressing the purpose of information in his artworks the original meaning becomes unintelligible, generating a discontinuous matrix consisting of binary codes and images influenced by mathematical concepts. The velocity and
density of the data shown become so extreme that the exercise of identification and memory is impossible. (Ikeda, 2018)
Figure 9 Ryoji Ikeda 'data.flux [LED version]' (2021) audiovisual installation, image courtesy Alternative Kyoto (2021)
In his 2006 ‘datamatics’ series, which he has been working on since 2005, he analyses “the world reduced to data produced by human activity and the structuring of knowledge through science and technology.” (Marcella Lista in Ikeda, 2018) Throughout the exhibition of this series, works have been shown in variable forms, on smaller or bigger screens, inside and outside of traditional exhibition spaces. Within this series, visually there is a chronological evolution from data shown as two-dimensional turned into a three-dimensional representation of the data flow. Visually minimalistic with black and white imagery, but sensorially sublime Ikeda’s audiovisual pieces have a trance-inducing feeling to them, purposefully incorporating glitches to bring an element of ominousness. ‘Datamatics’ solely uses algorithms to transcribe mathematical speculations into an audiovisual vocabulary; by performing these pieces live, Ikeda spontaneously rearranges them through mixing and provides a temporary experience Ikeda contradicts the infinite lifespan of databases and manages to keep its organic component derived from nature-sourced information One of Ikeda’s motivations in his work is to gain a deeper comprehension of the world we live in which manifests in his later projects.
Figure 10 Ryoji Ikeda 'supersymmetry[experience]' (2014) audiovisual installation, photo: Ryuichi Maruo, image courtesy Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM)
Focusing on natural phenomena during Ikeda’s residency at the Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) he created ‘supersymmetry’ (2014-15) concerning particle physics, “supersymmetry is a proposed extension of space-time symmetry that relates two basic classes of elementary particles: boson and fermion, and predicts a partner particle in the Standard Model, to help explain why particles have mass ” (Ikeda, 2022) Comprised of two components one being the “experience” and the other being the “experiment”, Ikeda fabricates visualisations inspired by the quantum physical theory, displaying his audiovisual pieces on two 65 by 2-foot horizontal screens and 20 monitors inside a dark room. He constructed an immersive installation piece drawing on the mathematical sublime, concluding an “investigation of the codes of life” (Chus Martínez in Ikeda, 2018) In the second installation ‘Supersymmetry [experiment]’ Ikeda represents this concept using three light boxes, containing the “particles” that imitate the proposed quantum physical phenomenon through movement The audio is then emitted according to the position of the “particles”, turning their locational data into sound. The translation of these equations into architectural artworks helps symbolise how we are surrounded and immersed in these phenomena, that are magnified in the installation, placing them on massive screens. Ikeda aims to illustrate how mathematical equations connect to organic environments, representing processes in physics that are invisible to the naked eye. Like the artist duo Semiconductor, Ikeda is concerned with understanding nature, developing works that serve as “one major research on cosmic apprehension, on the difficult relations between
the forces, the systems and the organism that coexist in the realm of what we call life.” (Chus Martínez in Ikeda, 2018) Ikeda combines the static data flow of computers that have predictable outcomes with the organic variation of sound that is unpredictable in his performances, assigning them to algorithms that react to their divergence in real-time. The immaterial properties of sound, light and mathematics turn material through their extreme manipulation into a physical experience. Ikeda achieves corporeality by designing his installations that are purely inside cyberspace to be felt, relying on the physics of sound and emotional responses encountered by the viewers. In the most abstract manner, Ikeda reconnects the audience to their surroundings that seem like the result of the Anthropocene, but stem from nature, while also tackling themes of corporeality previously seen in Cyberfeminist pieces.
Conclusion
Throughout history, humanity has battled with patriarchal dualistic views, that separate topics, environments and societal groups, segregating them and in turn preventing collaboration. This segregation has slowly been reduced, enabling a widening of perspectives within art and science alike. By inspecting and connecting artistic representation of Ecocentrism, Cyberfeminism and Data Art I have aimed to divulge the beneficial aspect of their interconnectedness. I have illustrated how philosophies within each subject overlay, and the artists presented share a goal of passing on personal or collective experiences. They do this by looking at entire systems and reflecting on struggles within them, using the creative industry to highlight areas that need to be revolutionised.
Neri Oxman, who is concerned with materiality, inventing biopolymers to use instead of synthetic plastic does so by conceptualising creative projects that engineer solutions. While Kac, Oxman’s predecessor, digests Ecocentric philosophies that question current Anthropocentric ideals similarly They manage to bridge the gap between these two industries by collaborating with scientists and artists alike to approach these topics from a unique standpoint. Another similarity shared amongst the artists is the sourcing of information from organic examples such as their own body, nature and the universe resulting in translation into visual representations Semiconductor for example is working towards a collective progression of scientific representation in a conceptual way, describing an Ecocentrist objective in the creation of their projects, inspecting ecosystems and the influence of the Anthropocene on them. Through their visual presentation, the data reaches the masses, and the result is that translation becomes more accessible, communicating it artistically through a concept instead of needing extensive scientific research to understand the effects While conducting their projects, they transcribe datasets keeping the original form of the source as much as possible, and in turn showing raw information without losing the genuine meaning. Ikeda takes a similar approach, where programming becomes an artistic medium, both artists redefining their boundaries as creatives.
As contemporaries, all artists discussed have turned to non-traditional mediums, and by choosing modern technologies as their tool, their concepts inevitably have become intertwined with the associated properties of that medium Drawing on Sadie Plant’s Cyberfeminist philosophies of regarding digital technology as the apparatus not as an autonomous machine working by itself, the artists manifest the cyborgian utopia of technological partnership. I
personally also experience this merging of machine and human within my practice, using digital technology such as programs and devices to extend myself beyond the physical realm or analogue techniques, and becoming entangled with cyberspace.
My aim within the dissertation was to investigate how contemporary interdisciplinary practice by losing its corporeality to global interconnectedness can prevent us from sticking with individualistic views and instead opens doors for new perspectives. I have researched in detail, artists that were influential not only to me but to many others, becoming pioneers in the multidisciplinary creative industry and overstepping the artistic category I have utilised my connection to data sonification, to personally relate myself to the topics mentioned and draw from real life experience. I’ve also collaborated with my father, Gabor Istvan Szeles a computer expert, by making an image sonification programme. Through writing the dissertation I have been able to gain a greater understanding of data sonification outcomes which I will be implementing into my practice. I have gathered that anything can be turned into data and data can be turned into anything when possessing the right tools for its translation.
Concluding from the dissertation, this interdisciplinary trend is not only beneficial for the artists and their audience but the industries that are involved in the collaborative project and our culture at large. This notion opens discussions between political, economic, social and cultural subjects such as misogyny, racism and capitalism. The artistic illustration of them can redirect thought processes and most importantly it can optimise the accessibility of information that is essential to obtain equal opportunities.
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