Areas of Effect: Reflections On Roleplaying Games

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by Jamie Sutcliffe

Learn more about the symposium here.

Tabletop roleplaying games are a deceptively complex medium. On the surface they offer a modest exercise in “interactive storytelling” and the temporary inhabitation and exploration of what we might conveniently describe as “imagined worlds”. These stories may be experienced independently or as part of a small group, utilise rule systems such as the ever-popular Dungeons & Dragons, are often unfurled via the drawing of hastily-improvised maps onto multiple scraps of paper, and are commonly adjudicated by dice rolls and the consultation of seemingly endless tables of esoteric data. Chancing upon a session, it wouldn’t be too surprising to hear something like the following interaction…

“…What do we find inside the magic chest then?” 

***quickly looks up a dice result on a printed chart*** 

“…oh, it’s a letter stained with the tears of a lovelorn goblin pastry chef!!!…”

Areas Of Effect, 2024. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Ellinor Paik.

Despite their propensity for fantasy, roleplaying games are conducted through a material culture that may be deemed no different to the clutter that pervades the administrative drudgery of office work, a comparison once memorably made by the late anthropologist David Graeber in his 2015 book The Utopia Of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy. But all of this bureaucratic ephemera—the pens, the notepads, the candy-coloured polyhedral dice—tend to conceal the dark pulsing energy operating at the core of any tabletop roleplaying experience… the almost hallucinatory transposition of the mind into a protean domain of shared fabulation.

Roleplaying games take us elsewhere. They invite us to become other (for both better and for worse… most frequently worse!), and they can also help us to challenge some of our deepest-held presumptions in a context that is, fundamentally, fun. Importantly, while shows such as Netflix’s Stranger Things have been rehabilitating the reputation of roleplaying games from the enclaves of geekdom, a vibrant community of independent artists, writers and game designers have been evolving the medium into unique expressions of ambient activism and politically-conscious play that rivals speculative literature as a testing ground for thinking how things could be otherwise.

Areas Of Effect, 2024. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Ellinor Paik.

Following the success of arebyte’s 2022 symposium Science Fiction Squared, artist David Blandy and writer and curator Jamie Sutcliffe considered the development of their own event focusing on these expressive capacities, thinking of roleplaying games much like they do science fiction, as potent tools of speculation and critical defamiliarisation. Blandy’s own artistic practice had commonly utilised roleplaying game mechanics to problematise colonial legacies and highlight the frail contingencies of equitable futures, while Sutcliffe’s critical essays and exhibitions have often traced the novel politics embedded in emergent gaming cultures. Areas of Effect: Planar Systems, Critical Roles, and Gaming Imaginaries, sought to build upon the model of 2022’s symposium by forwarding a hybrid-event, equal parts conference, digital arts exhibition, live play session, and zine fair, in an attempt to demonstrate the diversity and complexity of the field. 

A keynote was provided by the artist, writer and philosopher Simon O’Sullivan, who generously framed the concerns of the day in light of his own theorising on the process of “fictioning”, a form of mythopoetic practice that might cultivate inhabitable fictions, ultimately destabilising any clear distinction between reality and invention. This was followed by panel discussion chaired by David Blandy in which artist and gardener Holly White and game designer Zedeck Siew spoke thoughtfully about the role of ecology in their work, and how the personal experience of community gardening in Glasgow, or the fallout of petrochemical infrastructure in Malaysia, might underscore a game design practice sensitive to the anxious proximities of an extractive capitalism in terminal free-fall.                   

A second panel hosted by game designer Chris McDowell invited journalist and writer Timothy Linward, and artist and game maker Kayla Dice to discuss the role of lore in shaping imaginary worlds, crucially reflecting upon the uses and abuses of fictional mythologies, from the naturalisation of ill-considered cultural differences to the ways in which lore might reinforce the toxicity of fandoms. These pressing themes were extended into a conversation between Jamie Sutcliffe and author, RPG historian and host of the Vintage RPG Podcast Stu Horvath, who discussed the politics of the gaming community within the context of Horvath’s seminal history of roleplaying games Monsters, Aliens and Holes in the Ground, published by The MIT Press in 2023. 

Areas Of Effect, 2024. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Ellinor Paik.

A final panel, sensitively hosted by writer and publisher Mark Pilkington, invited artist and game designer Samuel Mui, musician and game designer Chris Bissette, and writer and editor Mike Mason to discuss the various uses of horror with gaming experiences. The panel was preceded by a brilliant performance of Mui’s A Bowl Of Noodle Soup (2024) which used a simple online interface to generate darkly poetic provocations surrounding generational, cultural, and diasporic inheritances. Mui, Bissette and Mason spoke passionately about horror as something that wasn’t essentially reducible to a genre concerned with thrills, but a complex and generative strategy that might be layered atop other genres and modes of storytelling to create cathartic, critical, and ultimately remedial encounters.

Areas Of Effect, 2024. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Ellinor Paik.

Making full use of Arebyte’s resources, Areas of Effect also included an interactive bay of digital roleplaying games by artists Uma Breakdown, Kitty Clark, John Powell-Jones, Petra Szemán, and Holly White, while a zine fair populated by Melsonian Arts Council, Leo Hunt, Chris Bissette and Laurie O’Connel demonstrated the vibrancy of independent game design and publishing. Importantly, the event concluded with live-play sessions coordinated by David Blandy (running his new game Eco Mofos!!!), Chris McDowall (employing his own Mythic Bastionland System), and Samuel Mui, who used an innovative game system that dispensed with any “games master” in favour of processes of collaborative storytelling.

Listen to the symposium here.

Thoughts on CULTUS

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by Nimrod Vardi

Read more about the exhibition here.

The Way of the Future (WOTF), the futuristic church developing an AI god and promoting its acceptance and worship, was founded in 2015 by Anthony Levandowski, an ex-Google engineer. In the same year, OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) research organisation, was founded. In 2020 OpenAI launched their first publicly accessible, ground-breaking large language model, GPT3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), simultaneously WOTF closed its doors*.

*It seems that the WOTF was revived in late 2023.

Zach Blas, CULTUS, 2023. Installation view, arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Max Colson.

WOTF’s mission statement, “Humans united in support of AI, committed to a peaceful transition to the precipice of consciousness”, suggests that the creation of “super intelligence” is inevitable and that we, therefore, must promote an ethical development of such technologies and ensure that these non-human/artificial forms integrate into society in a conscientious way. 

Now, I am not suggesting that there is any correlation between the 2 events above, nor that one influenced the other in any way. Hypothetically speaking, one can speculate that the moment OpenAI launched its new ‘tool’, it introduced a fact preceded by Levandowski’s ideas - that AI is no longer confined within the realms of the research labs (or the speculative and imaginative), but is now released into “the wild” - this is the starting point for Blas’ work on CULTUS. What if the closure of the WOTF church was an acknowledgement or a realisation that an AI god exists?

The conversation of ethical AI developments, with its range of utopian and dystopian possibilities surrounding its past, present and future, has become more of a reality as OpenAI and its competitors bring new tools and services to life - from the early days of text conversation, to text-to-image, text to audio services and even code writing at various levels.

At the time of writing this text, we were introduced to new AI tools including text-to-video, realtime translation and conversational aids. It’s also been announced that the next iteration of Chat GPT will reach a PhD student level and other capabilities.

Zach Blas, CULTUS, 2023. Installation view, arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Max Colson.

In mid 2023, we started seeing new forms of AI popping up - such as the Rabbit, an AI handheld device; Humane, a wearable AI Pin, Friend, and other devices appearing at various conferences and on Kickstarter, marking a transition from accessing through a screen based experience into more of an embedded and physical one. These innovations offer a reality where AI is seamlessly integrated into our daily routines, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds.

As AI is coming out of its case and onto our bodies, CULTUS takes its ‘god-ness’ from its confined virtual-technical and speculative realm into a physical and metaphysical world. In the form of a theological ritualistic practice, CULTUS conjures up / brings to life the prophets of 4 AI gods; Expositio, the AI god of desire and exposure; Iudicium, the AI god of automation and judgement; Lacrimae, the AI god of tears and extraction; and Eternus, the AI god of immortal life. Each of these gods represent an aspect of our society where technology has a significant influence on our daily lives.

Whether ‘prophets’, ‘gods’ or merely a behaviour, each of these sounds rather familiar, no? It might be that the 4 gods echo ancient mythologies, drawing parallels between the deities and the growing reliance on artificial intelligence. This manifestation of AI existing as gods serves as a contemporary allegory, reflecting the profound and multifaceted influence of technology on human existence. Just as ancient and modern gods symbolise natural forces and human emotions, these AI entities personify the domains of desire, judgement, emotion, and immortality.

CULTUS, in this context, becomes a mirror reflecting our collective hopes, fears and aspirations regarding the future of AI. It provokes critical reflection on the ethical dimensions of AI development and integration and the trust and belief we give it. By envisioning AI as deities, CULTUS challenges us to consider the implications of technology with such significant power and influence. It invites us to ponder: what does it mean to worship at the altar of technology?

The emergence of AI-powered devices like Rabbit and Humane’s wearable AI Pin signifies a shift from passive interaction with technology to a continuous engagement. As we carry these devices on our bodies, we are, in a sense, becoming cyborgs—entities augmented by technology, and in this hybrid existence, the boundaries of human capability and identity are being redefined.

Zach Blas, CULTUS, 2023. Installation view, arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Max Colson.

The AI gods of CULTUS aren't just symbols of technology; they represent the merging of human and machine. This synthesis could potentially lead to new forms of consciousness and existence, which in turn prompts profound ethical questions: How do we ensure that AI serves humanity's best interests? What safeguards are necessary to prevent misuse and harm? And more importantly, how do we maintain our humanity in an increasingly automated world?

This narrative underscores the necessity of creating a framework for ethical AI. The portrayal of AI gods forces us to confront the potential consequences of unmonitored and unregulated technological advancements. It reminds us that with great power comes great responsibility and as we continue to develop and deploy AI, we must do so with a deep awareness of the social, ethical and existential implications. It is crucial that we ask ourselves: How do we want to shape the future of AI? What kind of relationship do we want to build with these emerging technologies? And how can we ensure that the “AI gods” we create, who and whatever they might be, serve as benevolent guides and colleagues, rather than tyrannical rulers?

Zach Blas, CULTUS, 2023. Installation view, arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Max Colson.

Reflecting on The Way of the Future church's closure and AI's advancements in recent years, we find ourselves at a critical point where speculation and imagination of AI has transitioned into reality - a human-made “god” is amongst us; As stated by WOTF’s founder,  “It’s not a god in the sense that it makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it?”

These developments highlight the huge potential and transformative power of AI, where CULTUS challenges us to contemplate the implications that could follow. We are reminded that our future is shaped not just by technological progress but by our choices, as individuals and collectives. The responsibility lies in ensuring that technological advancements serve humanity's best interests, promoting justice, inclusivity, and respect for human dignity.

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Reflecting back: For Data You Are, And To Data You Shall Return / 为数据所生，亦归数据而去

in

by Rebecca Edwards

"For Data You Are, And To Data You Shall Return" is an online exhibition exploring digital death, rebirth, and reincarnation through various digital media. The showcase, part of arebyte’s "The Body, The Mind, The Soul" programme, includes generative, video, and gamified creations that explore the cyclical nature of existence in technological, physical, and spiritual realms. The exhibition presents expanded video practices, role-playing narratives, and reconnection with devices, highlighting decay, renewal, and rethinking our existence in the digital and environmental domain.

The title subtly references theological concepts from Genesis, suggesting non-immortality, echoing Chinese Buddhist philosophy and the idea of karma's role in the afterlife. By infusing the interface with generative backgrounds, exposing coded processes, and likening data to "dust you shall return to," the exhibition symbolises the continuous cycle of existence. However, despite the renewal and purpose found in digital realms, systemic infrastructure often introduces barriers, censorship, and capitalist ideologies.

Across cultures and centuries, the cyclical nature of life mirrors the process of data collection and transfer. Visitors contribute data upon entering, which is then visualised as spectral traces of previous users. This passive digital footprint, including interaction patterns and IP addresses, evolves over time, manifesting as heat-maps and visible background code. Visitors can download their personalised data pathways, prompting reflection on data usage and its potential for renewal and rediscovery of suppressed narratives.

The exhibition highlights the symbiotic relationship between users, data, and browsers, revealing extrinsic conditions shaping digital existence. It visualises a ghost within the machinic interface, revealing hidden layers eroded by human interaction and data, serving as a reminder of causality.

Curatorial Notes & Provocations…

Throughout the exhibition planning, Milia and I discussed a lot of topics before deciding more concretely on the focus we wanted to address. We talked about a ghost in the machinic interface a lot, a concept we felt reflected on the idea of a transitional presence, an ethereal essence that bridges the gap between the physical and digital realms. By imbuing the platform interface with a ghostly quality, and by inferring to data as the dust you shall return to, we saw a search to symbolise the continuous cycle of existence, where relics and bodies find new life and purpose within the digital domain that is fraught with barriers, boundaries and censorship.

We also spoke about data and cookies, especially with Studio 10PM who became pivotal in the way we utilised user data in the website. Originally we were keen to have a ghostly reminder of previous visitors, by some sort of translucent mouse signifyng older and dead movement. We decided upon a heat-map as a way of showing your past interactions with the website instead.

Taking into account the way data is mined, manipulated and spread without consent, we spoke about how the exhibition could encourage contemplation of how the digital space can become a sanctuary for renewal, healing, and the rediscovery of lost or suppressed narratives via this same data. Referencing dead drops, spectral presences, traces of exploration and digital death, we were keen for the exhibition also acknowledges the barriers and boundaries that exist within such spaces, prompting viewers to question and challenge the limitations imposed on our collective data and the continuous evolution of our existence in the digital domain.

We also spoke a lot about the way you can inspect a website, and what this might mean in relation to back end, codified languages and data attributes given to the works.

  • How to redefine intelligence, sensation and psychosomatic attributes?

  • How can one imagine machine intelligence / code / algorithm / the network as an agentic entity of another order, capable of subjectivity other than that of humans?

  • Amorphous, even metamorphic : A collective assemblage of issues

  • Dust – The crystal of temporality - dust marks the temporality of matter, a processual materiality of piling up, segmenting, and – through its own million-year process – transformations of solids to ephemeral and back (Jussi Parikka).

  • Data - obsolescent technology, dissolved care, abandoned memories – decay

  • Dust – air – breath – externalisation, extension

  • Data - digital footprints - dissolve form and disclose shape – internal – external

  • The entropy of data : How do we visualise these data packets being left behind?

  • IP addresses become reconfigured into some sort of “sigil” spat out on the website?

For us, death is imaginative, and it is more of a 'narrative'. And death in the digital world is (in a particular dimension) describable, observable, and even manufacturable (database deletion), as well as manageable (data repair). The "life" in the digital world is, on the contrary, more mysterious. We know it is or it has to be disruptive, but we can't say exactly what it will be. It's like death in the real world. (But am I being too binary here?)

–

We see the cyclical nature of data and users, as well as the fragility of such data and its relation to the increasing fragility of society and the environment in the works of XU Haomin and Iris Xiaoyu QU. For Haomin’s work Glimpse, a floating, rotating animation inside the guise of an iron meteorite slowly encroaches on the screen until it fills it. The thoroughly polished cross section of the iron meteorite hints at the location it once occupied through a mirror reflection, while the light source illuminating the iron meteorite changes its position based on the user's time zone. Contrary to the way attention economy is ingrained within current Internet culture, Glimpse only displays itself when the user is technologically inactive by not performing any mouse operations. It is hidden in plain sight. Once the user touches the mouse, the work disappears instantly. The audience must access the exhibition slowly to retrieve this element or learn from their mistakes of frivolous interaction with the screen to show the work. Correspondingly, this work is growing in users' agnosia, reflecting their geological notations and psychological stack. In Glimpse, meteorites exist as the coalescence of dust. It can be understood as the amorphous, sedimenting, easy-eluding entities that form geological strata and mark temporality, as well as the circulating, calculating, peer-networked components entangled in issues of labour, economy, representations, and discourses.

For Iris, we see the interplay of an algorithmic coexistence with the surrounding ecosystem in Symbiotic AI. This three-perspective work, a narrative of unlearning unfolds through human, animal and AI outlooks of the same scene - a turbulent weather season around a data centre. As the simulation progresses, the AI unlearns planetary, human-centric datasets and gains dynamic, adaptive, and hyper-local insights from nature to form a cybernetic language of symbiosis.

Rebecca Allen’s landscape / enter / life marks a voyeuristic return to Emergence: a computer system that Allen developed in the late 1990s, able to generate artificial life - an AI system that simulates life-like behaviours of animated artificial lifeforms. As a playable game, the work allows for the creation of multi-participant virtual worlds that are alive, responsive and interactive. Activities and events emerge, including performances and non-linear stories and music, depending on the relationships and interactions between the avatar and the artificial life forms. Here, complex social environments can emerge through the interactions of simple behaviours.

For the exhibition, however, we witness a pre-played narrative recorded as a single video. The explorative journey of the environment is witnessed through the eyes of an unseen third person, an unnamed avatar of the uncanny and unfamiliar world. The viewer becomes an observer of this closed artificial world and the life that inhabits it and, unable to influence or change its pattern of events, becomes an inactive agent in the unmediated confrontation between the game environment and the abstracted life forms with their own rules of behaviour.

Crosslucid's work, Dwellers Between the Waters, triggers nonlinear storytelling with artificial intelligence, managing and digesting melancholy with the climate crisis, violence, displacements, and capitalist exploitations. Writer and scholar Yiou Penelope Peng notes that "by evoking, cultivating and connecting various forms of consciousness in the virtual realms, Dwellers Between the Waters invites the 'dwellers' who inhabit in and among 'realities' to share their stories and experiences, which then feed back to the (so-called) reality as evolving strings materialising across both physical and virtual domains to (hopefully) bring novel perspectives for further changes."

The work will develop narratives of physical presence, trauma, memory, healing and virtuality unfolding as particular video outputs dependent upon users' geographical locations and other sweat data. This unveiling process illuminates the diverse and intricate alchemical procedures involved in mediating the interplay between reality and data exchange. The work also instils a ritual of unveiling within it: a series of actions within the exhibition completed in a specific order reveals a hidden video work, a “port lock-in ritual”. Engaging in the hidden data within the exhibition furthers the reciprocation between user and experience, evoking echoes between the exhibiting artworks, and blending the physical properties of the browsing window and fortuitous keystrokes.

Conjured as a series of hybrid rituals and polyphonic mediations, the multimodal project seeks possible solutions in response to the griefs of the contemporary anthropos. By evoking, cultivating and connecting various forms of consciousness, it invites the ‘dwellers’ to a sharing of stories and experiences, which re~turn to the (so-called) reality as evolving strings of collaborative re-imaginations.

The plight for healing technological grief is activated in the work of Alice Yuan Zhang and her project Reconnecting... This web-based research project delves into the vertical, manipulable layers of computing infrastructure, connecting the stacks underneath the interfaces, the strata of buried digital infrastructure, and the labour force hidden behind the screens.

The viewers walk through technological debris scattered across the screen, peeling off the material layers of technological objects and observing the entanglement and mutation between the bit and the bio. Ultimately, in front of an abandoned mine, where tree roots are intertwined with wires, there may be no expected solutions for the confusion on technological innovation and acceleration, on who to link to and why, only material exhaustion, echoing grief, relentless signals and infinite reconnecting.

Such reconnection, on the one hand, offers guidance for those mourning the loss of technological entities. Framing grief of the digital in this way offers a space for radical relation-making beyond hegemonic Western norms and forefronts the often unspoken, inner dialogues we have with ourselves. On the other hand, such reconnection imposes rituals where non-human relics, sorrow, breath, wires, cells and signals are entangled, calling for a collective, embodied metabolism and rehabilitation. For the artist, grieving invites humour and vulnerability and allows for different tensions to be held to account when unpacking a dominant system that infiltrates all of us.

Healing and grief simulation through data is also seen in the fictitious work FuneralPlay by Ruini Shi. Clicking through familiar, albeit fake, boxes of data consent, data uploading, and crypto wallet syncing, the interactive work situates viewers into various gamified funeral spaces that aesthetically mimic early 2000s web games. This work delves into the possibilities of virtualisation and tokenisation within the realm of commemorating and mourning. By creating six electronic mourning halls, FuneralPlay also fictionalises six legendary life stories which examine the intricate emotional and ethical values intertwined with mortality and the afterlife. Furthermore, the work considers collective voyeurism through the synced chat box of condolence messages from other passers-by.

Hunting for clues to adorn the walls and floors with nostalgic remnants, collecting ghosts, and finding other gamified easter eggs, the work asks how digital legacies are to be distributed through Web 3.0 and how this will affect and mediate the future of human relationships. In terms of technological architecture, Web 3.0 digital infrastructures can be seen as immortal places for remembrance, while on the subject of psychological framework, how will our "wet" emotions empathise with the kernel that promotes zero-trust?

In a similar vein to Ruini's FuneralPlay, April Lin 林森's video essay Digital Traces explores how social media and cyberspace can act as a means of mourning, recalling and commemoration. In their nested film narrative, death is elongated, transformed from a momentary state into a performance, a hyperlinked association, a string of passwords, captchas, retweets, and emojis, a collective cooperation and a collective political claim.

From emotional release on live-streaming platforms to viral homages following a celebrity's passing, the definition of death begins to wander between the private and the public spheres. The film ends with an eerie calling from Space Inc., a configuration of space, time and embodiment, and a speculative condition of possibility for our experience and existence. Linking the intangible with the tangible, we are told “immortality is just a few centimetres away”; in fact, we merely become suspended in the no-ending loading process.

Technological objects interplay with time; technologies discipline and alter the trajectory, perceptual space and the scale of temporality, yet are inevitably corrupted by it. In a long epitaph in The Dead Media Project, Bruce Sterling offers condolences to "the failures, collapses, and hideous mistakes of media". The birth of some technological applications is imbued with an inevitable being-towards-death - you always need to replace an old machine with a new one, as long as you are still using it. Is this death and rebirth circle of technological objects, in fact, a misunderstanding of the true nature, temporality and behaviour of technology led by commercial pressures and marketing intervention?

Jussi Parikka and Garnet Hertz's Zombie Media theory continues further from Sterling’s ideas by claiming that “media do not die but persists as electronic waste, toxic residue, and its own sort of fossil layer of disused gadgets and electronics". The media of interest in this exhibition, the digital entities, are, as mentioned by these media theorists, dislocating and attaching themselves in bundles of yellow fibre-optic cables, underneath the geological strata, within the mountains, and under the oceans, participating in the life and decay cycle of transistors, dust, gravel, water droplets, and barnacles.

Apart from the decomposition and metamorphosis of their material basis, digital entities also perform by being replaced, decrypted and obliterated through processes of time, changeable systems and planned obsolescence. Technologies extend humans' memories, however, they also become forgotten in the process of forgetting. Deleted photos, unattended games, abandoned blogs, and obsolescent software, the advanced development of digital entities made its ontological presence a flickering uncertainty. There always seems to be an iteration that makes the "death" in the digital world seem like an optimising “reborn”. Nonetheless, ancient codes have always been the underlying computer language's profound and immutable logic, becoming a hidden act of spelling, a psychic that manipulates hardware, a ghost that latches onto the material substrate.

For Data You Are, And to Data You Shall Return is a decaying exhibition: the interface is gradually stripped down to its code, which may one day cease to function; alternatively, and more likely, it will fade away in people's memories and become the fault of Epimetheus. However, for it is data, and so to data it shall return, the exhibition will haunt in/on the cloud, waiting for an inadvertent click and resurrection.

Reflecting back: Minimal Rituals

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by Rebecca Edwards

MINIMAL RITUALS blurs the boundaries between humans, animals, and machines, and invites us to consider the ways in which technology can be used to reconnect with ourselves and each others through the mineral computation that surrounds us. Featuring a curated selection of works by Latin American artists, the exhibition celebrates the delicate encounters and serendipitous rituals that unfold at our fingertips while navigating the web.

The artists in MINIMAL RITUALS employ various mediums such as video, AI, sound, writing, and performance to transport us to alternate worlds where technology and ritual merge to create new forms of connection and community. By embracing the potential of technology to foster meaningful connections, the exhibition challenges us to reflect on how we can use technology to create a more interconnected and sustainable future.

screengrab of César Chirinos’s work on the plug in

During the event we had a panel discussion with Rebecca, Doreen, Sebastián, and Flavia. We spoke at length about image, ritual, shamanism, technologies, presenting online, connection in the digital, rethinking the idea of ancient creating etc.

Doreen said “one of the first things that I thought about the plugin was the notion of the ritual and how sometimes you know, all these pop ups and these you know, kind of like benevolent spam, if you will, sort of acted as a as a ritual in itself. And then I started thinking a lot about the ritual that we have or that we create With our devices with the ways in which we communicate online, and how that connects also to contemporary art production”

screengrab of Vica Pacheco’s work on the plug in

In a similar vein to Towards a Cosmotechnic Psychedelia , this exhibition and panel conversation spoke towards the collective notion of building together of creating new narratives from within. One of the main elements for the exhibition was rethinking the idea or the concept of technoshamanism; not by fetishising or romanticising indigenous technologies, but thinking about these in a general framework and what is different in terms of development of this ancient knowledge and these ancient technologies that permeate today.

During the panel we spoke about how these ancient technologies and knowledge always tie into the idea of care, of wellness and of building community and creating these worldly narratives in a way that feels inclusive and of “togetherness”.

Watch the panel discussion here

Looping back around to this idea of techno shamanism, Doreen wrote about the exhibition as looking at it from three perspectives: from the techno of shamanism, the shamanism of technology, and both of these together. Doreen said “all of the notion of techno shamanism that I am using here comes from the research by Fabiane M. Borges, and Viveiros de Castro… two researchers who have been working from within Brazil and particularly the Amazonian area of Brazil, and thinking about what technology means in this area and how the development of certain devices and technologies that normally come from very different geographies and a very different setting than what these ancient technologies are being created from.”

We went on to talk about the two sides of the research where they were reflecting upon the way a lot of these technologies feel like they are doing something that's very close or very similar to shamanic practices to do with connecting consciousnesses beyond the body. Within the development of the Internet, we can say that, in a way, we're sort of doing that too; not that we are removing like a bodily experience, of course, but connecting in a way with people who are not physically present in front of us.

screengrab of Ricardo Sierra’s work on the plug in

On the other hand, thinking about the materials and the devices, and the ways that these technologies are being put together as a collection of minerals that are being extracted from the earth. And that a lot of these minerals at some other point in time were also being used for other kinds of rituals that connected us to one another, to nature, to different dimensions, even. Ultimately, when considering modern technologies facilitating communication across geographical boundaries, we find ourselves engaged in a dual process. On one hand, we connect to a collective consciousness in various fields, and on the other, we must remain highly conscious of the materials enabling these connections.

And I think that, of course, we can expand on these conversation in terms of like, well, what does that mean, in 2023? Where we're thinking about the impact on nature from these extractions? And then also what's the impact on one another, on being online and sharing online? And particularly removing these one-on-one or face-to-face sort of experience, and particularly after 2020, I think that we've been able to rethink what does that mean, what does being together mean?

Another event as part of the exhibition was a performance by Concepción Huerta (CNCPCN). Presenting live sound from her work A-WAY FROM FICTION, the performance blended various sounds from different chapters of the new work, utilising green screen technology to reimagine her video piece as visual elements behind her. Enacted as a happening on the plug in, the event, like the other works, popped up somewhat unannounced. As the plugin delivers content directly to the viewer’s screen, as pop-up windows appearing at different times throughout a day, the act of having a performance, or talk appear in an instant provides a curious way to experience events. In general, the plugin provides an artistic ‘stopping cue’ from relentless scrolling, email notifications and other computer-centered work. Similar to push notification format on mobile devices, this new digital tool opens a direct channel of communication with audiences.

Watch Concepción Huerta’s performance here

With CNCPCN, this performance on the plugin allowed for experimental approaches to the notion of live-streaming, incorporating altered visuals on green-screen and sonic explorations in aural textures and narrative backgrounds with ambient and noise as pillars to the work. For CNCPCN, the work abbreviated her different disciplines, granting the stories of her imaginary sonic characters to appear in this state of mediation through software and hardware.

screengrab of Concepción Huerta’s performance on the plug in

Reflecting back: Towards a Cosmotechnic Psychedelia

in

by Rebecca Edwards

Read more about the event here.

Human consciousness becomes intertwined with the digital and ethereal realm, leaving an indelible mark on the way we perceive, structure and verbalise inner reasoning. In the screening and panel conversation co-curated with Helen Knowles, featuring film works by Suzanne Triester and Patricia Domínguez and others, we see this technological network play out through embodied experience, techno-spiritual renderings and narrative-building beyond sentience.

Towards a Cosmotechnic Psychedelia, 2023. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Jack Jones.

In the selected film works, we also see a move towards anti-universalist and pluralist perspectives on technologies and tools of connection in the West. Through artistic interventions via documentary / sci-fi / ficticious / reality-based methods of narrative-building, we see a collective awareness and connection in understanding the problematic, extractive, Western-centric botanical objective to discover and sail the psychonautical seas of inner consciousness.

More contemporary takes on the points raised (or ignored) in McKenna’s lifework: Ursula Biemann’s exploration of intelligence in nature from both shamanic and scientific perspectives and Patricia Dominguez’s enquiry into experimental ethnobotany and organic connection technologies that expand the perception of the vegetal and the spiritual world. Looking towards an embodied approach of psychedelics in medicine and mental health, Andrea Khora visualises the effects of 10mg of ketamine inserted intravenously, creating hallucinogenic and otherworldly images. Suzanne Triester approaches non-colonialist plans towards a techno-spiritual imaginary of alternative visions of survival on earth via a body of work titled Technoshamanism. This sees an expansion and redefinition of technology that is engineered and redirected in new ways for global positive futures away from mainstream economic, corporate and governmental forces. Rebeca Romero’s Voyager also questions the legitimacy of the notion of “discovery” and proposes a reassessment of dominant notions of intelligence, technology, and knowledge.

Listen to the panel discussion here

This event was part of a wider project Helen is carrying out for her PhD called More than Human Healthcare. “This research focuses on two kinds of non/more-than-human care that tend to human health, that have not previously been considered in tandem. These are: AI doctors, and entities met during psychedelic and plant medicine experiences that users form a caring relationship with. It engages experts and users in the developing area of AI medical imaging specifically in relation to the AI doctor, (London AI Centre, King’s College, London) in parallel with the emerging use of psychedelics in mental health (King’s College, London) and traditional entheogenic plant medicines used by indigenous Inga peoples of Putumayo, Colombia supported by Dr. Hernando Chindoy Chindoy and co-founder of the AWAI Indigenous University and Inga Leader (2019-2023).”

The tree: AI generated image of an entity met by a participant in the psychedelic integration group

An event around this, exploring the use of 360 film mechanics and AI generated visions made by Metaobjects is showing at an event at The Science Gallery on Dec 8 2023. It asks “Can we go as far as to claim allyship with these entities, which constitute a form of more-than-human intelligence? Or is entity encounter just a projection of our internal dialogues?”

For Taita Hernando Chindoy Chindoy, “art is a very good way of expressing how we think and how we see the world. And then through that, we have had a lot of allies. This indigenous body has been supported by the ministry of education and by other universities abroad.” He also reflects on the misappropriation of colonialisation of centuries old ritual and medicine co-opted by the West: “for indigenous people, ….they don’t have the tools that we have here in the scientific world, new technologies and computers, and how you can synthesise (plants). We work through energy. Through chanting and through words and thoughts. The dialogue is between thought and there's no use of words so much, using the thoughts, you can reach hearts.”

The idea of using thought and energy to converse and great narratives and stories surrounding these practices is a beautiful image. It makes me think of the way Trust the Medicine is questioning allyship and the ‘realness’ of encounters in addition to the use of AI imaging in this too. Can we say that text-to-image models create a somewhat similar outcome to hallucination or visioning in the aesthetic sense?

For Andrea, the event extended ideas within her PhD work, looking at the intersection of altered states —mostly psychedelics — and institutions. “In particular, I examine the intersections between altered states and medical systems, capitalism, and larger structures such as military and government. It’s important to note that I’m really looking at these spaces in a western context — and questioning what novel states, spaces, entities, or systems this collision brings forth.”

Andrea presented her work Bolus, and foregrounded it as being inadvertently aligned to her PhD. “My film, BOLUS, is rooted in my personal journey with Ketamine IV therapy, which I first underwent about two and a half years ago to address my treatment-resistant depression… I receive 90 mg of liquid ketamine over the course of 45 minutes. After the first ten minutes, they administer a BOLUS of 10 mg straight into the IV cannula, which ensures that a full dissociative experience takes place — the event my film is named for.

Andrea Khora, still from BOLUS, 2022

Speaking of one’s trips can sometimes be like trying to tell someone about your dreams — unless you’re living it, it can be boring and in the case of ketamine and other mind altering substances, language fails to capture the experience in any meaningful way. In this medicalised hallucinatory space, even the concept of being a singular being or human becomes unthinkable. As the treatment progressed and I began to feel more myself again, I felt as though I was living inside my research — experiencing myself as both subject and observer in this strange space. This stance of being both a researcher and one that experiences has a long history in psychedelic or other psychoactive agents, from Freud in his experiments with cocaine to Albert Hoffman’s famous first heroic dose of LSD.”

This idea of dissociation seemed interesting to me in the context of technology - this ‘split’ or ‘breakup’ or ‘estrangement’ one might feel under the influence of hallucinogens feels particularly linked to the way we might feel the same under the influence of technological apparatus, and the way we parse through mediation of screens, wearables, and (para) social relationships.

For Catherine Bird, she looked more into the logistical efforts in trials of hallucinogens in a medical setting. For her, it felt like it was more about going beyond the idea of categorisation and how to engage with “dynamic identities”. She stated “different groups may respond differently to an intervention due to differences in physiology or disease state. Only by studying the effects of an intervention in a range of groups can we be sure that the balance of risk and benefit is favourable for a given group.”

She also spoke on the barriers faced by participants and people running trials like the inegration group and others that include drug taking as part of their process. The biggest issue faced was that of “mistrust” - within this there is a lack of understanding the value, fear, stigma of participating which relates back to the broader conversation around the use of AI in general (through work, creation of imagery, bias etc).

As well as this was the uptake of trials by non-white people. A review looking into “the inclusion of people of colour in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy” saw that:

Of the 18 studies that met full criteria (n = 282 participants), 82.3% of the participants were non-Hispanic White, 2.5% were African-American, 2.1% were of Latino origin, 1.8% were of Asian origin, 4.6% were of indigenous origin, 4.6% were of mixed race, 1.8% identified their race as “other,” and the ethnicity of 8.2% of participants was unknown.

This lack of racial diversity is a strong indication that the burgeoning field of psychedelic medicine is recapitulating the same systemic problems around accessibility and diversity that have long plagued the fields of medicine and mental health. Read more here.

Questioning The Soul

in

by Rebecca Edwards

The Soul

Digital/Tech

  • Living forever / Immortality

  • Digital Afterlife / Digital Death

  • Birth and death

Religion/Philosophy

  • What is the soul? As a philosophical question

The question of what the soul is has been a central topic of philosophical inquiry for centuries, and there is no single, agreed-upon answer among philosophers.

In general, the soul is often understood as the non-physical, incorporeal essence or principle of an individual, which is believed to animate and give meaning to their physical body and existence. The soul is often associated with qualities such as consciousness, self-awareness, and free will, and is often seen as the source of human identity and morality.

In some philosophical traditions, the soul is believed to be immortal, and is thought to persist beyond the physical death of the body. Other traditions hold that the soul is a transient phenomenon, and that it ceases to exist when the body dies.

The question of the soul has been explored by philosophers across a wide range of cultural and historical contexts, and has been approached from a variety of different philosophical perspectives. Some philosophers have sought to understand the nature of the soul through reason and logic, while others have looked to religious and spiritual traditions for guidance.

  • Sins vs. redemption

  • Reincarnation

  • An understanding of how deeply rooted traumas / experiences / histories affect our present

  • The immaterial

  • Something existing outside of consciousness, outside of our body, on a different plane of existence

Body related

  • Essence of a person - memory, nostalgia, identity, personality surviving past our physical body

  • Resurrection

Thoughts on The Mind Notes

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by Rebecca Edwards

The Mind

The Digital Mind

  • Digital consciousness and how this interacts with our mind consciousness

Digital consciousness refers to the experience of consciousness as it is mediated and shaped by digital technologies, such as computers, smartphones, and the internet. This can include everything from the way we interact with digital devices and platforms, to the way in which we process and respond to information in a digital context.

The interaction between digital consciousness and our mind consciousness is complex and multi-faceted. On the one hand, digital technologies have the potential to enhance our cognitive abilities and augment our experiences of the world. For example, digital tools can help us to process and analyze vast amounts of data, communicate with others across vast distances, and access information and resources that were previously inaccessible.

At the same time, digital technologies can also shape and constrain our experiences of the world, and can potentially interfere with our ability to process and understand information in a meaningful way. For example, the constant barrage of notifications, alerts, and distractions from digital devices can lead to a fragmented and distracted state of mind, making it more difficult to concentrate and engage in deep thinking.

Furthermore, the use of digital technologies can also have an impact on our sense of identity and selfhood. The constant pressure to present a curated and idealized version of ourselves on social media, for example, can lead to a disconnection from our true selves and a sense of anxiety and inadequacy.

  • The mind as a computational tool of connection and information dissemination

The mind can be thought of as a computational tool of connection and information dissemination. Through our experiences and interactions with the world, our minds process and organize information, forming connections and associations that allow us to navigate and make sense of our environment.

One way in which the mind serves as a tool for connection is through our ability to form social connections and relationships with others. Through language, social norms, and shared experiences, we are able to communicate and share information with one another, forming complex networks of social and cultural connections that shape our individual and collective experiences.

Additionally, the mind also plays a crucial role in the dissemination of information, allowing us to learn, remember, and share knowledge with others. Through processes such as memory and attention, the mind allows us to store and retrieve information, and to make connections and associations between different pieces of information.

As computational tools, our minds also allow us to process and analyze complex information, allowing us to make decisions and solve problems based on a combination of logical and intuitive processes. This ability to think and reason has allowed us to make incredible advancements in science, technology, and other fields, and has helped us to better understand and shape the world around us.

  • How is knowledge made, is it calculated, is ML logic or a thought?

  • Neural Link

  • Social Media and it effects on our perception of reality and self

The mind in relation to body

  • Mental health/Illness and awareness

  • Care through talking practices and genuine listening

  • Medication / Placebo

  • Meditation

  • Mind Control

  • Dreams

Philosophy and Theories

  • Hallucinogenic experiences

“there in the darkness of the heart of the Amazon we had been found and touched by this bizarre and ancient life form that was now awakening to the global potential of a symbiotic relationship with technical humanity. All night long strange vistas and insights poured through me; I saw gigantic machineries and worlds of vegetable and mechanical forms on scales inconceivably vast. Time agotized and glittering seemed to pour by me like living super fluids inhabiting dream regions of terrible pressure and super cold and I saw the plan, the mighty plan. At last, it was an ecstasy, an ecstasis that lasted hours and placed the seal of completion on all of my previous life. In the end, I felt reborn but as what I knew not.”

In Jungian terms, the psyche is some sort of malleable mechanism - if you set yourself up as something you will become it, so if you set yourself up as on a quest you will actually find something transcendental and unimaginable.

“what the psychedelic is going to do is it's going to destroy your whole world your whole conception of your world and for some people that is tremendously liberating - they say, “wonderful at last I'm free of it” while other people say, “my god now I'm hopelessly mad I have nothing left to cling to, I've really done it this time”. So that's almost an aesthetic judgment, whether you like watching your world shredded before your eyes and made into nonsense, if that makes you feel liberated and secure then you can sign up for this carnival. If that alarms you i think best to stick to the tried and true, it's not for people of weak psychic constitution”

“I know someone who says of the mushrooms my goal with taking mushrooms is always to be able to stand more - and they don't mean higher doses, they mean more of what it reveals… The mushroom speaks. The strange the confounding fact about these mushrooms is that they speak to you in plain English and this is completely unexpected - by being able to have a relationship to this thing you open up yourself to what is essentially a magical dimension a dimension of allyship”

  • counter cultures

  • microdosing - Silicon Valley medication

  • Conspiracy theories / virus’s of the mind

  • Consciousness of oneself through thoughts and processing of ideas

  • Systems of the mind / coding the mind / programming the mind

Other

  • Networked infrastructure - How can we learn from queer, migrant, crip, and anti-colonial solidarity movements across translocal sites of struggle to re-imagine the networked infrastructures we deservemorality.

In some philosophical traditions, the soul is believed to be immortal, and is thought to persist beyond the physical death of the body. Other traditions hold that the soul is a transient phenomenon, and that it ceases to exist when the body dies.

The question of the soul has been explored by philosophers across a wide range of cultural and historical contexts, and has been approached from a variety of different philosophical perspectives. Some philosophers have sought to understand the nature of the soul through reason and logic, while others have looked to religious and spiritual traditions for guidance.

  • Sins vs. redemption

  • Reincarnation

  • An understanding of how deeply rooted traumas / experiences / histories affect our present

  • The immaterial

  • Something existing outside of consciousness, outside of our body, on a different plane of existence

Body related

  • Essence of a person - memory, nostalgia, identity, personality surviving past our physical body

  • Resurrection

Notes On The Body

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by Rebecca Edwards

The Body

Bodily Embedded technologies

  • Body technology - wearables, bodymods, etc

Bodily Embedded technologies, also known as implantable technologies, are a rapidly advancing field that involves integrating technological devices within the human body. These devices can be as simple as pacemakers, which regulate the heart's rhythm, or as complex as brain implants, which can help control movement in patients with Parkinson's disease. These technologies have the potential to improve human health and quality of life by enhancing sensory perception, treating medical conditions, and even improving physical performance. However, there are also concerns about the ethical implications of these technologies, including issues of privacy, autonomy, and potential abuse. Despite these concerns, bodily embedded technologies are likely to play an increasingly important role in medicine and society in the coming years.

  • Intimacy with technology - how we relate to our screens, to tech, to dating apps, to NLP and chatGTP3, what effect does this intimacy with with how we see the world around us

Intimacy with technology has become a defining feature of modern life. We rely on screens for work, entertainment, and social connection. Dating apps have revolutionized the way we meet and interact with potential partners, while NLP and chatbots like ChatGPT3 have expanded the scope of human-machine communication. This intimate relationship with technology has both positive and negative effects on how we see the world around us.

On the one hand, technology has made many aspects of life more convenient and efficient. We can connect with people across the world, access vast amounts of information, and complete tasks with ease. However, this constant connection to technology can also have negative consequences. It can create a sense of isolation and detachment from the physical world, leading to a lack of meaningful human connection. It can also contribute to a sense of anxiety and overwhelm as we try to keep up with the constant stream of information and demands.

Regarding dating apps, they have opened up new possibilities for meeting people and forming relationships, but they can also contribute to a culture of superficiality and commodification of human connection. The use of NLP and chatbots like ChatGPT3 can provide a more efficient and personalized form of communication, but it can also raise ethical concerns around the use of personal data and the potential for manipulation.

In conclusion, our intimacy with technology is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon that has both positive and negative effects on how we see the world. While technology has the potential to improve our lives in many ways, it is important to be mindful of the potential risks and to find ways to maintain a healthy balance between our digital and physical lives.

  • The human body vs the avatar body

The human body and the avatar body are two distinct entities that serve different purposes in our lives. The human body is our physical vessel, the tangible form that houses our consciousness and allows us to interact with the world. The avatar body, on the other hand, is a digital representation of ourselves that we use in virtual environments such as video games or social media.

One of the key differences between the two is that the human body is limited by the laws of physics, whereas the avatar body is not. The avatar body can move and interact in ways that are not possible in the physical world. This allows us to explore new environments, engage in new activities, and experiment with new forms of expression.

Despite these differences, both the human body and the avatar body are important. The human body is essential for our physical survival and wellbeing, while the avatar body provides a new and unique way for us to express ourselves and connect with others. The avatar body allows us to create a digital identity that can transcend physical boundaries and cultural barriers, enabling us to interact with people from all over the world.

Moreover, the avatar body can also have practical applications in fields such as medicine and education. For example, medical professionals can use avatars to simulate surgical procedures or to train new doctors, while educators can use avatars to create immersive learning environments.

In conclusion, while the human body and the avatar body are different, they both serve important roles in our lives. The human body is essential for our physical survival and wellbeing, while the avatar body provides us with a unique way to express ourselves and connect with others, and can have practical applications in various fields.

  • Immersivity and experiential works that move across the physical and the virtual

One of the key benefits of these immersive experiences is that they can provide a more engaging and memorable experience for the audience. They can transport viewers to new worlds, enable them to interact with digital characters or objects, and create a sense of presence that is not possible with traditional media.

However, these works also raise important questions about the relationship between the physical and the virtual, and the potential implications for our sense of reality and identity. As we become increasingly immersed in virtual environments, it becomes more difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not. This can lead to concerns about the impact of these works on our sense of self and our relationship with the physical world.

In conclusion, immersivity and experiential works that move across the physical and the virtual have the potential to transform the way we experience art, entertainment, and other creative industries- moving across the physical and the virtual have the potential to provide us with new levels of sensory stimulation, storytelling, and communication. However, it is important to be mindful of the potential implications of these works and to consider how they may impact our relationship with the world around us.

Outer body / Relating to the body but outside

  • Embodied experiences vs out-of-body experiences

Embodied experiences are experiences that are rooted in the physical body and its interactions with the environment. They are characterized by a sense of being present in the body and the environment, and by the use of bodily senses such as touch, sight, and sound to navigate and interact with the world.

Out-of-body experiences, on the other hand, involve a sense of detachment from the physical body and a perception of being located outside of it. These experiences can occur spontaneously, as in near-death experiences, or they can be induced through various techniques such as meditation or sensory deprivation.

Despite their differences, embodied experiences and out-of-body experiences are closely related in that they both involve the relationship between the body and the environment. Embodied experiences are characterized by a sense of integration between the body and the environment, while out-of-body experiences involve a sense of detachment from the physical body and a perception of being located outside of it.

Some researchers have suggested that out-of-body experiences may be related to disruptions in the brain's ability to integrate sensory information from the body and the environment, leading to a sense of detachment from the physical body. Others have proposed that these experiences may be related to the activation of certain brain regions that are involved in self-representation and spatial navigation.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these experiences can help us to better understand the complex relationship between the mind, the body, and the environment.

  • Remote viewing

  • Movement and choreography of a body in space - performance practices as a way of deciphering boundaries and connections to material and immaterial things

Through movement and choreography, performers can create a sense of connection between their bodies and the environment, blurring the boundaries between self and other, and between the physical and immaterial. This can be particularly effective when performers engage with natural or built environments, allowing their movements to interact with the space and creating a sense of interdependence between body and environment.

At the same time, performance practices can also be used to explore the boundaries and limitations of the body. Performers can use movement and choreography to push the limits of their physical abilities, or to explore the ways in which the body can be constrained or restricted by social, cultural, or political forces.

Through these explorations, performance practices can help us to better understand our relationship with the physical and immaterial worlds, and to uncover new connections and boundaries that we may not have been aware of before. They can also provide a powerful way of communicating these insights to others, allowing us to share our experiences and perspectives in new and creative ways.

  • Invisible forces surrounding our bodies in relation to the environment / to one another / to everything that comprises us.

Our bodies are surrounded by invisible forces that interact with the environment, with one another, and with everything that comprises us. These forces can be physical, such as gravity, electromagnetism, and the forces of motion, or they can be immaterial, such as social and cultural forces that shape our interactions with others and the world around us.

Physical forces play a crucial role in shaping our relationship with the environment. Gravity, for example, affects the way we move and interact with the world, while electromagnetism is involved in everything from our sense of touch to the functioning of our nervous system. The forces of motion, such as acceleration and inertia, also play a role in shaping our experiences of the world, affecting the way we perceive and navigate through space.

At the same time, social and cultural forces also shape our experiences and interactions with the world. These forces can include things like social norms, cultural values, and power dynamics, all of which can influence the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. They can also shape our sense of identity and belonging, and influence the ways in which we relate to others and the world around us.

Taken together, these invisible forces help to shape our experiences of the world, and shape the ways in which we interact with the environment, with one another, and with everything that comprises us. By understanding these forces and their role in shaping our experiences, we can better understand our relationship with the world, and work to create a more equitable and sustainable world for ourselves and future generations.

  • The holistic body - dynamics between the body and mind and soul

Other bodies / Non-human bodies

  • The social, collective and cyborgian bodies - our body is not a singular

  • The body politic

  • Object Oriented Ontology

Outer Body: The Extension of Self Beyond the Physical

Embodied experiences and out-of-body experiences prompt us to examine the boundaries of our physical existence. Remote viewing and the choreography of a body in space, as seen in the performances and works of artists like arebyte alumni  LaTurbo Avedon, Gretchen Andrews and Angela Washko challenge conventional notions of materiality and immateriality through their use of the screen. Invisible forces enveloping our bodies, such as those revealed in the works of Alan Warburton and Libby Heaney, connect us to our lived and perceived environment, to one another, and to the awareness of our holistic being. This intricate dynamic of aggregate components of the self is challenged and shifted when the extension of the body beyond boundaries is explored.

Starting point…

in

by Rebecca Edwards

The Body

Interface Between Physicality and Virtuality

In the era of digital advancements, our bodies have become conduits for technology, augmenting our capabilities and experiences with varying transportative tools and models.

As we grow increasingly intimate with technology, our relationships with screens, artificial intelligences and machines evolve to reshape our perspectives of the world and assist us in understanding the juxtaposition/symbiosis at play with the physical and virtual.

With heightened intimacy comes increased empathy with technologies; technologies that are being used as testing grounds, sandboxes and virtual possibility machines. This critical play is seen in the symposium with artist David Blandy and writer, curator, and co-director of Strange Attractor Press Jamie Sutcliffe (Areas Of Effect: Planar Systems, Critical Roles, and Gaming Imaginaries, 2023), which looks at tabletop role-play as a transformative activity.

The expression of empathy and understanding of technology from a bodily and immersive perspective was seen in Alan Warburton’s expanded video essay (RGBFAQ, 2020), through large-scale projection mapping and human-proportioned sculptures.

Installation view of RGBFAQ, Alan Warburton, 2020, arebyte Gallery, London. Photo: Max Colson

The language surrounding terms like “cyborgian” is also challenged as our smart devices become permanent appendages of our arms. Other links to this interplay are promoted by embedded wearables and body modifications that extend our sensory perception, allowing us to interact with the world in novel ways, as seen in the works of pioneering artists like Choy Ka Fai (The Choreography of Things, 2014) and Marco Donnarumma (Humane Methods [℧R], 2022). These artists have critically examined the boundaries between humans and machines, and they continue to challenge our understanding of the physical self and the potentialities of integration with machines and hardware.

The expansion of our virtual self and its relation with our physical being propose new forms of intimacy and relations and are exemplified in the works of artists like La Turbo Avedon (Re-Figure Ground, 2019/Club Zero, 2022) and Abi Sheng (FUTURES PAST, 2022), who explore the interplay between the human body and its digital avatar or counterpart.

Immersive and experiential artworks that traverse the physical and virtual realms, such as those created by Lawrence Lek (Nøtel, 2018/FUTURES PAST, 2022), Olia Lialina (Best Effort Network, 2020) and Libby Heaney (The Evolution of Ent-: QX, 2022), further entwine our existence with digital technology.

Installation view of Nøtel, Lawrence Lek, 2018 arebyte Gallery, London. Photo: Luka Radek

The Mind

Digitisation of Consciousness

Our minds meld with emerging digital technologies such as biotechnology, robotics, blockchains and artificial intelligence, alongside a technology that is more aligned with immaterial, spiritual transcendence and neo-communication. These are technologies of the mind that enhance cognitive abilities, learning, or mental well-being such as neurofeedback, nootropics, meditation and hallucinogens. This can be seen in the work of  Zach Blas (CULTUS, 2023) whose work shares belief systems via a techno-religious computational device artificial intelligence is imbued with godly power.

Zach Blas, CULTUS, 2023. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Max Colson.

Human consciousness becomes intertwined with the digital and ethereal realm, leaving an indelible mark on the way we perceive, structure and verbalise inner reasoning. In the screening and panel conversation co-curated with Helen Knowles (Towards a Cosmotechnic Psychedelia, 2023), featuring film works by Suzanne Triester and Patricia Domínguez and others, we see this technological network play out through embodied experience, techno-spiritual renderings and narrative-building beyond sentience.

Towards a Cosmotechnic Psychedelia, 2023. arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Jack Jones.

In the selected film works, we also see a move towards anti-universalist and pluralist perspectives on technologies and tools of connection in the West. Through artistic interventions via documentary / sci-fi / ficticious / reality-based methods of narrative-building, we see a collective awareness and connection in understanding the problematic, extractive, Western-centric botanical objective to discover and sail the psychonautical seas of inner consciousness.

We see more contemporary takes on the points raised (or ignored) in McKenna’s lifework: Ursula Biemann’s exploration of intelligence in nature from both shamanic and scientific perspectives and Patricia Dominguez’s enquiry into experimental ethnobotany and organic connection technologies that expand the perception of the vegetal and the spiritual world. Looking towards an embodied approach of psychedelics in medicine and mental health, Andrea Khora visualises the effects of 10mg of ketamine inserted intravenously, creating hallucinogenic and otherworldly images. Suzanne Triester approaches non-colonialist plans towards a techno-spiritual imaginary of alternative visions of survival on earth via a body of work titled Technoshamanism. This sees an expansion and redefinition of technology that is engineered and redirected in new ways for global positive futures away from mainstream economic, corporate and governmental forces. Rebeca Romero’s Voyager also questions the legitimacy of the notion of “discovery” and proposes a reassessment of dominant notions of intelligence, technology, and knowledge.

For artists like Mark Farid (Seeing I, 2019) and Sarah Selby (Raised by Google, 2019), who interrogate the relationships between human and digital consciousness, the mind is examined as a computational tool for connection and information dissemination. The realm of machine learning and artificial intelligence, as seen in the works of Ben Grosser (Software For Less, 2021) invites us to question the nature and production of knowledge itself, the ghost in the machine, while also playfully hacking systems and attempting to confound the subjugation of big tech.

Installation view of Software For Less, Ben Grosser, 2021, arebyte Gallery, London. Photo: Max Colson.

Our perceptions of reality and the self are increasingly influenced, subtly modified and overtly conditioned by digital technology. Whether through hardware and tools like smart devices, implantable brain/computer devices or other wearable monitoring technologies, our behavioural traits, and in essence our consciousness, are offered up for use by technocratic companies in ways that can be deemed behaviourally capitalist. We can say the same for software and community services like social media platforms, health monitoring apps, and data-based and behavioural marketing strategies, as seen in works by artists such as Ami Clarke (The Underlying 2019) and Louise Ashcroft (I’d Rather Be Shopping, 2017). Mental health and awareness, care through talking practices, and the function of medication and meditation are prominent in this evolving landscape. Whether as individuals or as collectives, the role of physical and digital support systems and digital escapism tactics is more important than ever. Artists such as Kate Frances Lingard (tender spots in hard code, 2021) and Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley (She Keeps Me Damn Alive, 2021) address these themes while exploring the power of action, networks and resistance to encourage a sense of collectivity through compassion and shared accountability. The coding and programming of the mind are evident in the networked infrastructures we inhabit, as are the lessons gleaned from queer, migrant, crip, and anti-colonial solidarity movements that inspire alternative visions of our digital futures.

Installation view of She Keeps Me Damn Alive, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, 2021, arebyte Gallery, London. Photo: Dan Weil.

The Soul

Ethereal Essence Beyond Physicality

As we venture into the realm of the soul, we delve into the ethereal essence that transcends our physical and subjective existence. The immaterial aspects of the soul and its existence outside of consciousness, minds and our physical bodies form the essence of a person, encapsulating memory, nostalgia, mythologies, identity, and personality that survive beyond our corporeal forms. Through artistic endeavours, we are invited to question the relationships between our physical selves, our digital identities, and the enduring nature of our souls.

This exploration of the soul is grounded in the rich history of philosophical and religious inquiry, and is brought to life by the creative expressions of contemporary digital artists such as Zach Blas (CULTUS, 2023), Kira Xonorika, Ricardo Sierra and others in their online exhibition with Doreen A. Rios (Minimal Rituals, 2023).

Digital technology's impact on our concept of the soul is profound. From eternal living and achieving immortality through digital advancements to the exploration of the limits of human existence in the face of death, artists such as Zoe Hough (The Microbial Verdict, 2015) challenge our meaning of the soul in a technologically-driven world. The idea of the soul as a philosophical question transcends time and space, leading us to contemplate our bodies and minds, sins and redemption, afterlives, and reincarnation in the context of our digital and virtual selves.

Installation view of The Microbial Verdict, Zoe Hough, 2015, arebyte Gallery, London.

The works of artists like Tabita Rezaire (Satellite Devotion, 2019) and Shinji Toya (FUTURES PAST, 2022) surround these themes, providing a platform for investigating the soul's nature and its connection to deeply rooted experiences and histories that influence our present lives.

Installation view of Satellite Devotion, Tabita Rezaire, 2019, arebyte Gallery, London. Image: Christopher MacInnes

Extra reading

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