This performance of Cryptic Lineages by artist Laura Splan combines video, 3D animation, and sound with live vocalizations to explore the role of biological systems and fluids that work in tandem with advances in artificial intelligence. Referencing experiments in which water, bacterial colonies, strawberry plants, and tissue cultures are used to model and forecast behavior, the performance sheds light on the increasingly porous boundary between the computational and the natural world. Themes of energy, waste, labor, and the instrumentalization of bodies offer poetic reflections on how our conceptions of "nature" and the "individual" inform, and are in turn informed by, the future of computing. Developed as an expansive body of work, Cryptic Lineages also includes performances, events, publications, and workshops that explore the social and aesthetic implications of technoscientific research. Laura Splan is a New York City-based artist working at the intersections of Science, Technology, and Culture. Her research-based studio practice and interdisciplinary collaborations culminate in multimedia artworks, exhibitions, and events. Her work has been presented at The Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Brooklyn Museum (NYC), Musea Brugge (Bruges), Museum of Arts & Design (NYC), Centre d'Art Santa Monica (Barcelona), Pioneer Works (NYC), and other museums and centers around the world.
New York City, NY; NYC