KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rudolfo Quintas
www.rudolfoquintas.com
+
IG: studiorudolfoquintas
Reimagining the Body - Artistic Exploration and Digital Embodiment
in the era of AI
The human body has long served as a nexus for exploration across
disciplines - ethics, politics, biology, psychology, philosophy and
history. Its representation in art and design underscores its
importance, allowing artists to navigate a wide range of themes such
as violence, love, sexuality, gender, freedom or the nuances of
absence, presence and memory. In today's age, marked by the rise of
artificial intelligence, big data and the fusion of the physical and
digital realms, the discourse on the body has evolved. Artists are
now exploring the body's relationship with technology, offering new
perspectives on how we inhabit our increasingly digitised world.
This evolution serves as the backdrop for my presentation,
"Reimagining the Body - Artistic Exploration and Digital Embodiment
in the Era of AI". I propose a re-examination of the body,
envisioning it as a conduit for new artistic expressions and digital
integrations. This quest explores the potential of immersive
installations, data-driven artworks, and digital therapeutics to
foster a harmonious blend of physical and digital experiences. By
focusing on the body's engagement with the surrounding world, we aim
to prioritise human experience over technological substitution or
automation, and advocate for a future in which technology enhances
rather than eclipses our bodily essence.
My analysis is anchored in four key concepts: the body as interface,
body mapping, closed loops, and ethnographic research. Together,
these themes address the integration of technology and design, the
principle of interactive feedback between human and technology, and
research that is deeply rooted in human experience. They are
exemplified by a selection of art projects developed by my studio to
contribute to the field of body interaction in the digital age,
including "New Media As Cyborg" (2001), "Displacement" (2004),
"Swap" (2005), "eDGe" (2007), "Présence" (2014), “Absorption”
(2015), "Black Hole" (2018), "A Sombra Das Ondas" (2023) and "O Acto
Ciênsivel" (2023-2024), translating concepts such as "augmented
body", "sensitive contexts" or "eco-acoustic embodiment". These
works not only reflect the shifting paradigms of our relationship
with technology, but also underscore the enduring relevance of the
body as a site of critical inquiry and creative expression.
Rudolfo Quintas, for PCD Porto 2024
