Thomas Feuerstein (Austria) Governor’s room, 2018 Interactive robotic installation, part of the installation «Tea for Kirillov» Commissioned by LABORATORIA Art&Science Foundation При поддержке Лаборатории Касперского Where the dogs run (Russia) The Day after Tomorrow, 2018 Interactive installation, Metal, wood, plastic, getinaks, electronic components, electro-mechanical components, cassette slide projectors, computer, brooder, chickens Dmitry Kawarga (Russia) Absorbing Concepts, 2017 Robotic installation, Polymers, composites, metal, engines, video camera, color fluids Photography (с) RDI Creative Memo Akten (UK) Learning to see: Hello, World!, 2018 AI-driven interactive video installation Jon McCormack (Australia) Niche Constructing Robot Swarm, 2018 Robotic installation Commissioned by Laboratoria Art&Science Foundation Supported by Australian Embassy in Russian Federation

CURATOR: DARIA PARKHOMENKO

ARTISTS: MEMO AKTEN (UK), DMITRY KAWARGA (RUSSIA), EGOR KRAFT (RUSSIA), ART GROUP «WHERE DOGS RUN» (RUSSIA), JON MCCORMACK (AUSTRALIA), ELENA NIKONOLE (RUSSIA), THOMAS FEUERSTEIN (AUSTRIA), JUSTINE EMARD (FRANCE), :: VTOL:: (RUSSIA), ERIK MATRAI (HUNGARY)

Moscow Museum of Modern Art and LABORATORIA Art&Science Foundation are happy to present exhibition Daemons in the Machine occasioned with the fund’s 10th anniversary. The project is dedicated to so-called «new daemonology» — artistic re-thinking of artificial intelligence, myths and ghosts of the epoch of autonomous machines. Do they uncover new, unknown ways of existence? Are neural networks able to think —and what does it mean «to think»? Most works created for the project by artists from Russia, United Kingdom, Austria and Australia together with scientists from iPavlov, MIPT and NRC «Kurchatov Institute» will be shown to public for the first time.

The project Daemons in the Machine explores the latest IT-technologies with potential that isn’t fully studied by developers and specialists in this field: artificial intelligence, blockchain, computer viruses. Participants, exploring ethical and futurological aspects of modern technologies, work with latest art forms such as: robotic installations, self-developing objects, digital interventions and neuro-installations.

MORE ABOUT THE WORKS:

At the entrance visitors will be met by neural network that recognizes through security cameras everything that floats before its «eyes». Thus, interactive neuro-installation by British artist Memo Akten «Learning to See» not only is based on preceding knowledge, gained from Hubble telescope, but continues learning in real-time mode by participation of all spectators appearing within sight of the object.
In interactive installation «The Day After Tomorrow» by art group «Where Dogs run» a blockchain appears as new religion — search for Perfect number. It is generated by electric scheme that digitalizes cheep and tweet of the chicken in an incubator. The visitors may contribute to this process: they get warning or insights generated by «living sculpture» that constantly translates «Divine Comedy» by Dante Alighieri about life out of the human world to the language of electrical circuit.

The central work at the exhibition will become the interactive installation in three parts by Austrian artist Thomas Feuerstein «Tea for Kirillov». In the first part the author offers to meet the ghost of engineer Kirillov, character of the Dostoevky’s nove; «Demons» who examines his theories about freedom of will. The ghost of Kirillov can’t be seen, but you may feel its actions and find his image on the screen of security camera. In the second part the public will be a witness of network inner life, literally. Visitors will appear at the labyrinth of hundreds of cables that connect abstract objects consisting of control panels, regulators and monitors. Monitoring systems of «Kasperky Lab», general partner of the project Daemons in the Machine, control cyber-attacks, botnets and activity of computer viruses, that is, fill the objects with their own life: they vibrate and make deep bass sounds. In the third part if the installation spectator s will get to the future and will meet two characters: robotized ancient surgery lamps Borgy&Bes that got second life and have the senseful dialogue using language of XIX century, discussing last news on the Internet. «Brain» of the characters are neural networks trained by iPavlov (MIPT) on the abse of Dostoevsky’s works.

Art&Science Incubator sections dips into the process of collaboration between artists and scientists. Here is presented the documentation of creation process of the works, and also recording of the conference held within preparation of the project. In Incubator will be shown the works created by robots-painters by Australian artist Jon Mccormack,
and hybrid sculptures by Egor Kraft, Content Aware Studies. For their sake, neural networks trained on the base of a range of ancient works in digital form chosen by the artist, reconstruct lost fragments of daemon sculptures in Ancient Greece.

ORGANISATORS

LABORATORIA ART&SCIENCE FOUNDATION The exhibition Daemons in the Machine is occasioned with the 10th anniversary of LABORATORIA Art&Science Foundation whose aim is to create platforms of transdisciplinary interaction of contemporary art and science. Over the years of its existence the fund held 30 international exhibition projects, by which 100 artists all over the world were involved in collaboration with the most progressive scientific laboratories. The fund became the first institution in Russia that combines contemporary art with science and important platform for development of Russian technological art.

ММОМА Moscow Museum of Modern Art (ММОМА) was founded in 1999; this is the 1st state museum in Russia that specializes on art of XX and XXI century. Today the museum is located at seven platforms in Moscow, it is one of the most active participants of art life in the country. Collection of the museum represents the main stages in history of avant-garde, especially in Russia. Priority guidelines of MMOMA activity also are education in art, support of young artists, own publishing program and development of inclusive projects.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Anna Svergun, Nataliya Vorobyeva, Anton Mirimanov
+7 (905) 544-18-83
artpr@svergun.ru, a.svergun@gmail.com, vorobiova71@gmail.com, anmirim@yandex.ru

General partner: Kaspersky Lab

Sponsored by: National Settlement Depository, Australian Embassy in Russian Federation, Austrian Cultural Forum

Partners in Science: iPavlov, MIPT, NRC «Kurchatov Institute»