This series of conferences aims to provide a space to reflect about the major issues of our near future, considering the impact that technologies have on society, with an emphasis on developments in the fields of art, culture and knowledge. The growing virtualisation of the world and of experiences, in a context of a certain technological determinism, has been transforming our perception of events, causing us to increasingly recognise ourselves in a man-machine symbiosis, with its inherent conflicts of identity and subsequent apprehension regarding a subordination of what is naturally human. Just like politics, art too requires a long-term understanding. Today, we witness a sudden explosion of experiences that happen almost simultaneously. Our relationship with time has changed significantly and shapes our presence – or absence – in a world of mediated experience. Recent developments in the so-called Artificial Intelligence have come to exacerbate our concern with the radical shift in the foundations that determine our societies, which are mainly based on a humanist perspective. This series aims to contribute to exploring and analysing these questions. For this, it includes the participation of researchers, philosophers, essayists, university professors and artists, whose proven expertise and experience in these various themes will enable a well-grounded approach.

28 November, 6 pm
Fundação Champalimaud | The Warehouse | Bridges to the unknown – crossing art with science

Conversation with the Immersive AI Systems group and artists Sofia Dias and Vítor Roriz.

The Immersive AI Systems group will talk about Altered Reflections, a project that reflects on identity in times of rapid technological transformation. In this work, a screen similar to a mirror reflects the viewer’s face in real time, but with subtle transformations, blurring the boundaries of gender, ethnicity and age, inviting the public to reflect on the fluidity of identity, merging technology and introspection.
The Immersive AI Systems group is part of The Warehouse, the future Digital Therapeutics Center of the Champalimaud Foundation, and the work Altered Reflections was presented in the Metamersion cycle, organized by the cultural initiative Bridges to the Unknown.

Choreographers Sofia Dias and Vítor Roriz will talk about the work All Around You, developed at the Champalimaud Foundation’s art and science residency, as part of the Bridges to the unknown initiative. All around you explores the question of how to transpose principles of virtual reality, AI and immersion into choreography, without the use of technological devices. It is a performance that relies on the body, voice and simple actions to create an immersive experience.

29 November, 6 pm
ZABRA

Technoaesthetics and Post-Human Expansion.

This presentation explores the fusion between art, technology and science as a tool for cultural acceleration and social transformation. By interconnecting disciplines and breaking down ontological barriers, we will address how the intersection of technoaesthetics and post-human ecology allows for more than human evolution. Through interspecies dialogue and the creation of an integrated knowledge ecosystem, we investigate how this approach not only redefines contemporary aesthetics, but also paves the way for new ways of existing and understanding reality itself, expanding the access and impact of knowledge beyond human limits.

ZABRA – Post-Human Art Research Center, directed by Carincur and João Pedro Fonseca, develops research in the area of expanded computational arts where computers play a crucial role in the production or representation of works of art and their effects on the future of society. Using a transdisciplinary approach and interspecies dialogue, the center explores post-nature for contemporary creation and encourages each research artist to develop their own interpretation of art, technology and science, to transform it exploratory and delve into unknown terrain. The question of individual research by each member of the center forms the basis of the ZABRA concept. By combining innovative technologies with a social and artistic mindset, a network and community is built that contributes to greater democratization of artistic, technological and scientific access. By exploring this intersection between art, technology and science, our practice covers areas such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented realities, hybrid habitats, performance and interactive installations. Our projects have been presented in various spaces and programs such as MODALISBOA, Sónar, Champalimaud Foundation, Ciência Viva – Pavilhão doconhecimento, FUTURAMA, NOVA FCT, LUX Frágil among others.

30 November, 6 pm
Jonas Runa

REUNION XXIV: Poetics of Randomness.

In this sonoluminescent performance designed by Jonas Runa, as in the book Alice on the Other Side of the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, the structure of the work of art is based on the moves of a chess game. The movements of the pieces activate/transform sound and light compositions, while the opponents talk freely. The artistic result, where chance plays a fundamental role, consists of a considerable simultaneity of light and sound stimuli that intentionally interrupts and often impedes the understanding of the players’ speech

Researcher and artist, working in the field of new media art, performance and multimedia, sound sculptures, light art, interactive installation, improvisation and musical composition and contemporary dance. Associate Professor at Universidade Lusófona, where he holds the positions of director of the Degree in Sound Science and Technology and the Master’s Degree in Production and Sound Technologies. He founded the duo ZUL ZELUB with Jorge Lima Barreto, in 2007, for piano and electronic art music . His artistic work has been presented at the Guggenheim Bilbao, 55th and 56th Venice Biennale and Logos Foundation, among others.

1 December, 6 pm
Anna Titovets

Revealing reality, colliding with the unreal. Art, technology and science.
Artist/curator talk by Anna Titovets [Intektra].

We live in an era of rapidly changing technologies and the human ability to comprehend the possibilities of the invented technologies is sometimes not enough. Technologies are never neutral, and the critical, speculative or even ironic artistic approach makes it possible to highlight or predict the potential impact of technological changes on different aspects of society and human beings. In her talk, Anna Titovets will present a selection of her artistic and curatorial strategies and research in the domain where science, art and society converge. She will place special emphasis on digital anthropology and present some of her recent projects, which reflect different aspects of artistic and curatorial approaches to the topics of data protection, information society, digital immigration, and speculative technological futures.

Anna Titovets [Intektra] is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and researcher at the intersection of art, technology and society. Focusing on digital culture, technoanthropology and media activism Anna’s practice spans various media and formats. Her work has been featured at festivals and exhibition spaces across Europe and Russia and she is the concept creator and curator of the Cryptography Museum. Passionate about curating art&tech festivals, she founded Plums Fest and has collaborated with many others, including Ars Electronica. intektra.net

5 December, 6 pm
Raquel Castro

Sound Art and Sustainable Urban Futures.

Sound Art and Sustainable Urban Futures Sound art is emerging as a transformative practice capable of reshaping urban experiences, fostering a sensory and critical approach that connects art, ecology, and citizenship. Initiatives like the Lisboa Soa festival exemplify this convergence, bringing together artists and communities in activities that encourage attentive listening and active participation. Techniques like sonification — which converts data, such as
pollution levels, into soundscapes — make it possible to translate invisible and inaudible phenomena into auditory experiences, offering a renewed perspective on environmental processes while enriching the sensory dimension of urban life.
This presentation examines the impact of sound art in public spaces, exploring how sound and technology reshape urban experiences. Sound art thus acts as a bridge between aesthetic experience, environmental responsibility and civic engagement, inviting us to imagine more inclusive and sustainable cities.

Raquel Castro is a researcher, director and curator of sound art. Founder and director of the Lisboa Soa festival and the international symposium Invisible Places, she has a PhD in Communication and Arts from FCSH-UNL and is an integrated researcher at CICANT/Universidade Lusófona, where she teaches a degree in Sound Sciences and Technologies. She directed documentaries such as Soundwalkers ( 2008) and SOA (2020), where interviews, art and sound environments combine to broaden awareness about sound. She curated the Sound Art in Public Spaces exhibition cycle, presented in the following contexts: Wilde Westen (Belgium), November Music (Netherlands), Spor Festival (Denmark), Onassis Stegi (Greece) and Ultima Olso (Norway). Founder of the Sonora cultural association, she creates and produces transdisciplinary projects at the intersection of art, science, ecology and sound. Castro is currently President of the Executive Board of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology.

7 December, 6 pm
Rodrigo Gomes

Latent Space: How Far is Far?

In the realm of computational photography, images transcend their mere visual representation. They are the outcome of a latent space where artificial memories dissolve into what we define as representation. This space challenges our traditional conceptions of time and reality, artist and creation, human and non-human. Under the title Latent Space: How Far is Far?, Rodrigo Gomes delves into the frontiers of visual perception and their implications for a reality shaped by the interaction between man and machine.

Faro, 1991. Rodrigo Gomes is an artist and teacher. He lives and works in Lisbon. Through sculpture and the use of new media, his artistic work focuses on how contemporary techniques and hypermedia technologies filter reality and influence socio-economic aspects globally. He has exhibited in various countries, including China, Serbia, Greece, Italy, the USA, Poland, France, and Portugal. In 2021, he won the D-Normal / V-Essay Floating Points prize in Hong Kong (CN), in 2020 the Black Raven Prize (PT), and in 2017 the Sonae Media Art Prize (PT).

8 December, 6 pm
Rudolfo Quintas

Why, What, Where, and How: Exploring the Intersection of Art, Science, and Technology.

In this masterclass, Quintas will explore how the intersection of art, science, and technology enables him to examine and express the relationships between culture and technology across social, political, physiological, and emotional dimensions., and emotional dimensions.

Rudolfo Quintas is a Portuguese visual artist working at the intersection of art, code, and computation. He creates audiovisual installations, paintings, sculptures, and performances, employing interactive, generative, and artificial intelligence techniques. His projects have been recognized with both national and international awards and have been exhibited widely over the past 20 years. www.rudolfoquintas.com