Exploring emerging technologies – Tuur Van Balen

Tuur Van Balen (Belgium, 1981) uses design to explore the political implications of emerging technologies. Through designing and experimenting with new interactions, he constructs thought-provoking new realities. Both the process of creating these objects, interventions and narratives as the resulting physical presence aim to confuse, question and confront different publics with the possible (and impossible) roles of technologies in our everyday lives.

Browse through his projects. They all reflect on how humans try to manipulate their world and therefore are an inspiration for your projects for H(ello)E.T. http://www.tuurvanbalen.com/

Becoming Transnatural; de bioloog aan de ontwerptafel?

In de kunsten en het design worden de nieuwe mogelijkheden van technologie en zijn ingrepen in de natuur en het menselijk lichaam op verschillende manieren verkend. De tentoonstellingen en de symposia Transnatural 01 en TN 02: Becoming Transnatural tonen diverse (media)kunstenaars, speculatief designers, bedrijven en onderzoekers die het grensgebied tussen natuur en technologie en artificieel leven en machines verkennen. Dit biedt wellicht interessante invalshoeken voor jullie H.E. concepten. (je vindt er  zoal diverse presentaties van de kunstenaars/designers die ook door Superflux als voorbeelden van H.E. zijn getoond).

Lees hier een recensie uit de Volkskrant (nl), waarin deze rol van ontwerpers wordt besproken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

concept & image by Lucy McRae

Design practice Superflux

On Friday 25th of November, London-based design practice Superflux will visit the Media, Arts & Design Faculty. On the one hand, they will give an interesting lecture on who they are, what they do, etc. and on the other, they will organise an interesting workshop on Human Enhancement.

In short, Superflux works closely with clients and collaborators on projects that acknowledge the reality of our rapidly changing times, designing with and for uncertainty, instead of resisting it. They are particularly interested in the ways emerging technologies interface with the environment and everyday life, and with proven experience in design, strategy and foresight, Superflux is in a unique position to explore the implications of these new interactions. Ultimately, they strive to embed these explorations in the here-and-now, using rapid prototyping and media sketches to turn them into stimulating concepts, experiences, products and services.

Superflux’s business has two parts. The consultancy is client-facing, offering bespoke services, while the lab is a research space where we develop and test new ideas. Though these two parts function independently, they’ve come to rely on their contrasting rhythms for team sanity, the ‘sweet spot’ of unexpected synergies, and a steady stream of new ideas and provocations.

So, be sure to check out http://www.superflux.in/ for more information on Superflux and their work. Below you find a short video on Superflux’s “Song of the Machine”, a project that explores the possibilities of a new, modified – even enhanced – vision, where users can tune into streams of information and electromagnetic vistas currently outside of human vision:

Song of the Machine from Superflux on Vimeo.

“My special ‘cheetah’ legs give me superpowers”

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, model, and activist. And she does it all using a collection of experimental prosthetic legs.

Born without fibulae in both legs, Mullins had to amputate both her legs below the knee on her first birthday. However, Mullins doesn’t view her prosthetic legs as “fixing” something, but rather as augmentations. She wants them to be beautiful, to give her superpowers, to be parts of her body that people look at with admiration. With her public speaking and athletics, Mullins has popularized the idea that synthetic body parts are something to show off, rather than hide. This attitude towards her prosthetics makes Mullins posthuman.

Learn more about Mullins on her website. Also be sure to check out some of the interesting TED talks she gave here.

Revital Cohen

… is a designer who develops critical objects and provocative scenarios exploring the juxtaposition of the natural with the artificial. Her work spans across various mediums and includes collaborations with scientists, bioethicists and animal breeders.

One of her projects, “The Electrocyte Appendix”, is an artificial organ that could be implanted into the body to allow people to become electric organisms. Inspired by the electric eel and the way it uses electrocyte cells to produce electrical current from its abdomens, the organ is constructed of artificial cells* that mimic and improve the electrocyte mechanism by converting blood sugar into electricity.

For more information, see: http://www.revitalcohen.com/

H.U.L.C. (Human Universal Load Carrier)

Dismounted Soldiers often carry heavy combat loads that increase the stress on the body leading to potential injuries. With a HULC exoskeleton, these loads are transferred to the ground through powered titanium legs without loss of mobility.

The HULC is a completely un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton that provides users with the ability to carry loads of up to 200 lbs for extended periods of time and over all terrains. Its flexible design allows for deep squats, crawls and upper-body lifting. The exoskeleton senses what users want to do and where they want to go. It augments their ability, strength and endurance. An onboard micro-computer ensures the exoskeleton moves in concert with the individual. Its modularity allows for major components to be swapped out in the field.

For more information, see: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/hulc/

puntKom 21.10.2011: Susanna Hertrich

 

Susanna is a Paris-based artist that tells stories that contain a surreal imagination for the functionality of objects. Her works are evidence deriving from narratives that connect fiction and reality. Mundane artefacts, everyday situations or banal social acts are transformed into modes of expressions for naturally neglected desires, psychological dilemmas and secret fantasies. An obsessive fascination for machines and how we interact with these, leads her to building strange devices that open a gate to an alternative universe. Visualizing the invisible and celebrating moments of the Uncanny are recurring motifs. She often uses the language of products and her devices come with a clear directive — yet, their interpretation is completely left to the viewer. For more information on Susanna, see: http://www.susannahertrich.com/

So be sure to check out the puntKom next week. To register click here!

Hello world! H(ello)E.T.!

“I’ve from very early on held the view that we’ve always been prosthetic bodies. Ever since we evolved from hominids… we’ve constructed artifacts, amplifications of the body. It’s part of what we are as a human species”

Stelarc, 2000

Stelarc is a performance artist who has visually probed and acoustically amplified his body. He has made three films of the inside of his body. Between 1976-1988 he completed 25 body suspension performances with hooks into the skin. He has used medical instruments, prosthetics, robotics, Virtual Reality systems, the Internet and biotechnology to explore alternate, intimate and involuntary interfaces with the body.

http://stelarc.org/