INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON

AI for People:

Democratizing AI

24-26 November 2023, Bologna, Italy
Venue: Palazzo Dal Monte


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Lecture on Catalog of the Post-human
by Jessica Charlesworth and Tim Parsons


Description:
Jessica Charlesworth and Tim Parsons will discuss Catalog for the Post-Human, a satirical installation at the Venice Architecture Biennale that uses the future of work and human enhancement to draw attention to the nature of our post-human condition. Building from the theme of the Biennale, "How will we live together?", the project asks “How will we live together if we are forced to augment ourselves to stay competitive?” Drawing upon research into AI-driven working patterns, the corrosive effects of the gig economy, automation, and theories of the post-human, the project uses the setting of a trade fair to present a collection of body-related objects for workers of the near future.

Under the guise of fictional retailer Catalog for the Post-Human Parsons & Charlesworth present a collection of objects that subtly mock the contemporary capitalist need to be permanently cognitively sharp, quantifying yourself with data, and able to work the long and irregular hours assigned by algorithm-led corporations. Such potential futures suggest we will be expected to further merge with technology, physically, psychologically, and socially. What are the logical conclusions of the work/life changes we’re already seeing? How will AI, brain-computer interfaces and constant corporate surveillance impact our behavior? What are the physical and psychological consequences of giving over body and mind to the unrelenting productivity of data-driven capitalism?

By encountering “new products” that help users cope with a society that is no longer human-centered, but is instead propelled and mediated by post-human systems, the viewer is challenged to consider how technology will be applied in this impending future.

Bio:
Parsons & Charlesworth are collaborative artists focusing on the objects and habits of humankind. Their inventive sculptural practice relies upon creating objects that allow us to examine our future selves and perhaps navigate better. Utilizing sculpture, objects, narrative writing and photography, their work addresses key social, ecological and technological challenges of our time, including climate change and the future of work. Recent commissions include the 17th International Architecture Exhibition- La Biennale di Venezia at the Arsenale and Designs for Different Futures at the Walker Art Center and Philadelphia Museum of Art. They began collaborating in 2010 after relocating to Chicago from the UK. They both teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.


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