DESIGN: VERTICAL &HORIZONTAL - Conference Digest - Cumulus Association
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Conference 28–30 Oct. The conference was hosted by
Peter the Great St. Petersburg
Digest 2020
Polytechnic University,
St. Petersburg University,
and HSE University
in Collaboration with Cumulus
International Associaton
DESIGN:
VERTICAL
&HORIZONTAL
GROWTH
Content ABOUT DESIGN: VERTICAL TATIANA FADEEVA, ALEX- RUDRAJIT BOSE & SURO- Day III
AND HORIZONTAL GROWTH ANDRA STARUSEVA-PER- JIT BOSE (Lifestyle Accesso- INTER-ACTION
page 4 SHEEVA (HSE University, ries Department, United world
Russia): “See You in Zoom: Institute of Design, Karnavati Hosted by
INTRODUCTION BY Digitally Extended Presence University, India): “Design Ed- St. Petersburg
ELJA SALMI as a New Normal” ucation & the Evolving Nex-
page 6 University
page 34 us Beyond the Curve”
page 42 30.10.2020
KELLIE WALTERS (Garmin
International, USA): “Nance: MA FERNANDA MÁRQUEZ ALOK B. NANDI (Architempo.
Satirical Jewelry Design for CULEBRA (Architecture and Spread Design), ANTON POP-
Feminist Perspectives in Habitat Sciences Department, OVICH (HINT Lab), EGOR
Augmentation” Universidad de Monterrey, Mex-
Day I page 35 ico): “Social Problematics in
KRAFT (Interdisciplinary artist,
researcher), LANA VAVILO-
FUTURE HUMAN & out of the Profession of VA (Dell Technologies), LUCY
ALEXANDER ZHURAV- Design”
Hosted by LEV (HSE University, Rus- HARDCASTLE (Lucy Hard-
page 43 castle Studio): “Possible and
HSE University sia): “The Return of Avatar
as Ever-changing Postdigi- FAN CHEN (College of De- Plausible Futures of Inter-
28.10.2020 action”
tal Identity” sign and Innovation, Tongji Uni-
page 35 versity, China): “Research on page 50
LEV MANOVICH (City Univer- the Transformation of Design
sity of New York, USA): “Aes- Education under the Back-
thetic Society”. Keynote pa- Abstracts:
ground of Epidemics”
per transcript page 43 MARCOS MORTENSEN
page 12 STEAGALL, TATIANA TAV-
TIMOTHY KAROLEFF (Indus- ARE, CASSANDRA LOH,
LAINI BURTON (Queensland D
ay II trial Design Department, Uni- MICHIE KIARNA, NOL-
College of Art, Griffith Univer-
sity, Australia): “Filters and CREATIVE versity of Louisiana at Lafayette, WAZI MPOFU, JUNJIRA
USA): “Natural Maintenance”
Fakery — The 21st Century INDUSTRY page 44
SANGUANRACHASAB,
Mask”. Interview by ELENA CASEY STRICKLAND (Auck-
Hosted by Peter the land University of Technology.
MILANOVSKAYA IRINA TARASOVA & EKATE-
page 18 Great St. Petersburg RINA KOLESNIKOVA (Archi- New Zealand): “Design and
Polytechnic University tecture Department, Ural State Māori Values. A Rebrand Pro-
DMITRY BULATOV (Nation- ject for the Social Enterprise
al Center for Contemporary Arts 29.10.2020 University of Architecture and
Sector”
Art, Russia): ”Reflexive Cul-
(The Baltic Branch), Russia): ture in Architectural Science page 52
“Posthuman Curating”. Inter- ROUND TABLE WITH MI- and Education”
view by DMITRY DAVIDOV CHAEL KROHN (Zurich Uni- HISA MARTINEZ NIMI, JUAN
page 44 CARLOS CHACÓN QUINTE-
page 21 versity of the Arts, Switzer-
land), KSENIA DIODOROVA MICHAIL OUSTAMA- RO (Chiba University. Japan):
CHRISTL BAUR (Head of the (co-founder and art director of NOLAKIS (Academy of Visual “AI as a Co-creation Partner.
Ars Electronica Festival): “2020 bureau Gonzo Design, Russia), Arts, Hong Kong Baptist Univer- A Study of Image-based De-
as a Turning Point”. Interview HENRIQUE PESSOA (Pro- sity, Hong Kong): “Idea Gen- sign Projects Using Genera-
by PETR SKOVORODNIKOV fessional Landscape Architect, eration and Ideation. What is tive Adversarial Networks”
page 26 Politecnico di Milano, Italy): the Difference?” page 52
ANDRIESH GANDRABUR “Design — New Other Com- page 45 YIWEN ZHANG (Tongji Univer-
(Head of "Sound art and sound munication Language”. Re- sity. China): “Towards Inter-
view by VIKENTY GRYAZNOV MARGHERITA TUFARELLI
design" department, HSE Art (DIDA Department of Architec- active Approaches for Infor-
and Design School, HSE Uni- page 40 mation Searching in Mixed
ture, University of Florence, It-
versity): “Non-Player Piano” aly): “Design in the Digital Reality”
Sound Performance. Inter- Abstracts: page 53
Era: the Balance Between
view by PETR SKOVOROD- ELLEN ZHU (Visual Commu- Technology, Creativity and
NIKOV ROSENDY GALABO, BAD-
nication Department, Tsing- Culture” ZIILI NTHUBU, LEON
page 31 hua University, China): “Heart page 45 CRUICKSHANK, DAVID
Ring — A Set of Stackable PÉREZ (Lancaster University.
Abstracts: Rings Integrated with Chi- United Kingdom): “Redesign-
nese Culture and Western ing a Workshop from Phys-
AMMER HARB (Politecnico di Aesthetics” ical to Digital. Principles for
Milano, Italy): “Humans, Tech- page 42 Designing Distributed Co-de-
nology and Speculative De- sign Approaches”
sign Futures: Can We See page 53
the Invisible?”
page 34 DIANA VALDÉS, SOFÍA
GONZÁLEZ, TAMARA MEDI-
NA, RAFAEL GARCÍA (?Méx-
ico): “Hybrid Housing. Reima-
gining shared urban living”
page 54
4 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 5
With the Cumulus vision to actively promote exchange of knowl- Future Human, Creative Industry, Inter-action. Each host (SpbU,
edge and design experience on a global and interdisciplinary SpbSTU, HSE) was responsible for one track. This approach
scale,three Russian schools from St.Petersburg and Moscow — has presented a diverse Russian art and design academic com-
HSE Art and Design School (HSE University), St. Petersburg munity eager to exchange ideas with colleagues worldwide.
University, and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic Uni-
versity have joined their efforts to host an online conference in
collaboration with Cumulus.
’Design: Vertical & Horizontal Growth’ was a precursor to the
official annual Cumulus Conference. Postponed due to COV-
ID-19, this will now take place in Moscow and St.Petersburg in
June 2022. Since staying connected is critical in the on-going
COVID-reality, three Russian universities decided to make par-
ticipation free of charge. The conference was held in digital for-
mat in October 2020.
’Design: Vertical and Horizontal Growth’ aims to encourage
the Cumulus community to express their opinions on the role of
design as a humanizing practice in the context of multidirection-
al development complicated by the COVID pandemic.
We decided to invite the participants to explore issues sur-
rounding the design community’s involvement in the innovation
process. How can design thinking help society overcome its fear
of and resistance to the main challenges of our time? In what
ways could we bridge the gap between traditional living patterns
and the changes rapidly occurring in all areas of society today?
We need a communicative model that would smooth over the
differences between the horizontal and the vertical processes.
The perpendicular development vectors — x and y — shape
the space of interpretation, aims and objectives of design. The
horizontal vector represents cultural values and the convention-
al lifestyle; this is an area of social comfort. The vertical vector
represents innovations that destroy the familiar way of life. Our
discussion focuses on design as a practice of searching for ar-
eas of growth, support and balance, which make it possible to
reconcile the traditional way of life and cultural values with the
innovative approach to solving problems arising in society.
The three-day conference was held from 28 to 30 October
2020. Each day has covered one of the conference’s tracks: —
6 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 7
Elja
Secretary General
Cumulus International Association of Universities
and Colleges in Art, Design and Media
Business, industry, non-profit institutions, government. Plan-
https://www.cumulusassociation.org/ et, Profit. We, as the humans at the heart of our disciplines, are
Salmi:
in the same carriage now, driving the world forward with the tools
provided by art, design and media. With massive responsibility,
unquestioned. This time, we landed together in a country of great
“Unleash.
creativity and innovation, to share knowledge as we make steps
forward. For many conference participants, the event opened
the door to a new and very interesting environment. ‘Fluline’ re-
Future Human.
vealed to us this setting as a truly wonderful one to experience.
DVHG has gone down in design history as a unique begin-
ning of three Russian universities jointly organizing an event of
Creative Industry.
this calibre. Participation was impressive, with close to 900 peo-
ple from Russia and abroad.
“Design: Vertical & Horizontal Growth” was a prelude to the
Inter-Action”
first Cumulus conference which will take place in 2022, hosted
by these three universities. Can we expect anything different
then? Yes. You will be able to touch, hug and sense the humans,
and the environment. Vertical & Horizontal created for us a ‘cen-
tre of gravity’ to meet again in Russia. Thanks to all our organiz-
ers, speakers, and participants, we also live forever online with
DVHG. We can’t wait to return.
Where are we? Innovation, fear, resistance, gap, change. Cul-
tural values, conventional lifestyle, comfort, discomfort. Destruc-
tion, change, growth, balance, support, challenge. A never-end-
ing row of codes with massive, deep semantics. Soft, technology,
human. Negative. Positive.
These words, picked from the well-designed introduction to
the days we spent together online with ‘Design: Vertical & Hori-
zontal Growth’ Conference, match so perfectly this quality time
with three Cumulus member universities in Russia, 28–30 Oc-
tober 2020. The event was vastly important for advancing edu-
cation and research.
FUTURE
FUTURE HUMAN TEAM
Scientific Committee Organizing Committee LIUDMILA ALIABIEVA
HUMAN
PhD., Academic Director of The Doctor-
TATIANA RIVCHUN TATIANA RIVCHUN al Programme in Art and Design at HSE
PhD., Professor, Deputy Dean of Faculty PhD., Professor, Deputy Dean of Faculty University.
of Communications, Media, and Design of Communications, Media, and Design Editor-in-Chief of Russian Fashion Theo-
at HSE University, co-founder of HSE Art at HSE University, co-founder of HSE Art ry: the Journal of Dress, Body & Culture
and Design School. and Design School. (2006 present), editor of the book series
Executive producer of Telling Stories In- Executive producer of Telling Stories In- Fashion Theory Journal Library, Board
ternational Festival. ternational Festival. member of Fashion Theory: the Journal
of Dress, Body and Culture and Fashion
LEONID BAZHANOV LIUDMILA ALIABIEVA Studies, curator of fashion and exhibition
Professor of Faculty of Communications, PhD., Academic Director of The Doctor- programs at the Krasnoyarsk Book Fair
Media, and Design at HSE University al Programme in Art and Design at HSE (since 2010).
Hosted by HSE University
Founder of the creative association "The University.
Hermitage", the initiator and the Artistic Editor-in-Chief of Russian Fashion Theo- ALEXANDRA PERSHEEVA
Director of the National Center for Con- ry: the Journal of Dress, Body & Culture PhD., Assosiate professor at HSE Com-
temporary Art, Corresponding member of (2006 present), editor of the book series munication, media and design facul-
the Russian Academy of Arts Fashion Theory Journal Library, Board ty, head of theory-based courses at HSE
member of Fashion Theory: the Journal Art and Design School.
LIUDMILA ALIABIEVA of Dress, Body and Culture and Fashion Researcher specializing in contempo-
PhD., Academic Director of The Doctor- Studies, curator of fashion and exhibition rary art, focused on video art and theory
al Programme in Art and Design at HSE programs at the Krasnoyarsk Book Fair of moving image, author of a book «Vid-
University. (since 2010). eo art. Viewer’s montage» (2020) and an
Editor-in-Chief of Russian Fashion Theo- online course «The art of video» (Post-
ry: the Journal of Dress, Body & Culture IRINA INESHINA Nauka).
(2006 present), editor of the book series MA, Head of Marketing and Communi-
Fashion Theory Journal Library, Board cations at HSE Art and Design School TATIANA FADEEVA
member of Fashion Theory: the Journal (HSE University) PhD., Assosiate professor at HSE Com-
of Dress, Body and Culture and Fashion munication, media and design faculty
Studies, curator of fashion and exhibition Design at HSE University.
programs at the Krasnoyarsk Book Fair Reviewers Art theorist, researcher specializing in
(since 2010). contemporary art, focused on VR, AR
TATIANA RIVCHUN and science art.
ALEXANDRA PERSHEEVA PhD., Professor, Deputy Dean of Faculty
PhD., Assosiate professor at HSE Com- of Communications, Media, and Design
munication, media and design facul- at HSE University, co-founder of HSE Art Design Team
ty, head of theory-based courses at HSE and Design School.
Art and Design School. Executive producer of Telling Stories In- ANATOLY GRASCHENKO
Researcher specializing in contempo- ternational Festival. EKATERINA ALTUKHOVA
rary art, focused on video art and theory NASTASYA CHURSINA
of moving image, author of a book «Vid- LEONID BAZHANOV
eo art. Viewer’s montage» (2020) and an Professor of Faculty of Communications,
online course «The art of video» (Post- Media, and Design at HSE University
Nauka). Founder of the creative association "The
Hermitage", the initiator and the Artistic
TATIANA FADEEVA Director of the National Center for Con-
PhD., Assosiate professor at HSE Com- temporary Art, Corresponding member of
munication, media and design faculty the Russian Academy of Arts
Design at HSE University.
Art theorist, researcher specializing in
contemporary art, focused on VR, AR Editors The concept of the human body and its ca- Furthermore, the ‘online shock’ we have wit-
and science art. TATIANA RIVCHUN pacities is today under review due to the de- nessed during the pandemic has given rise to a
PhD., Professor, Deputy Dean
of Faculty of Communications, velopment of technologies changing the body media extension. As the global lockdown forced
Media, and Design at HSE Uni- structure by means of surgery, genetics and both business and personal communication to
versity technological correction. As a result, the body go totally online, the concepts of one’s presence
LIUDMILA ALIABIEVA
PhD., Academic Director of becomes a platform of transformation. Today it and face-to-face encounters have taken on a
The Doctoral Programme in Art is an object of design: ‘extended body’ and ‘mor- new aspect. How could we describe the effect of
and Design at HSE Universi- phological freedom’ come to the foreground. this ‘extended communication’ which, hencefor-
ty, Russia
What new ways of considering one’s body does ward, will involve us all? What are the effects of
this imply? How does one adapt to an extended the ‘mediated’ body? How are science, art and
self? What is the new subjectivity of an augment- design reacting to this online extension we are
ed human? forced to undertake?
10 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 11 FUTURE HUMAN Timetable
28th 11:45 –12:00 Opening remarks: EIJA SALMI (Cumulus As 14:20 –14:40 ALEXANDER ZHURAVLEV (HSE Univer-
of October sociation), TATIANA RIVCHUN and LIUDMI- sity, Russia): “The Return of Avatar as Ev-
HSE Day: LA ALIABIEVA (HSE University, Russia) er-changing Postdigital Identity”
“FUTURE
HUMAN” 12:00 –12:40 LEV MANOVICH (City University of New York, 14:40 –15:20 DMITRY BULATOV (National Center for Con-
USA): “Aesthetic Society” temporary Arts (The Baltic Branch), Russia):
“Posthuman Curating”
12:40 –13:00 HELENA NIKONOLE (Artist, independent cu-
rator, Russia): “Art & Science Practices: Be- 15:20 –15:40 AMMER HARB (Politecnico di Milano, Italy):
yond Human” “Humans, Technology and Speculative De-
sign Futures: Can We See the Invisible?”
13:00 –13:20 IRINA SIROTKINA (Institute for the Histo-
ry of Science and Technology, of the Russian 15:40 –16:00 KELLIE WALTERS (Garmin International,
Academy of Sciences, Moscow): “Cyborgs or USA): “Nance: Satirical Jewelry Design for
Wearable Technologies? Commentaries on Feminist Perspectives in Augmentation”
the future”
16:00 –17:00 OUND TABLE WITH ARS ELECTRONICA
R
13:20 –14:00 LAINI BURTON (Queensland College of Art, CURATORS (CHRISTL BAUR, OLGA VAD,
Griffith University, Australia): “Filters and Fak- HELENA NIKONOLE, ANDRIESH GAN-
ery — The 21st Century Mask” DRABUR): “Art and Technology Trends in
Pandemic Realty”
14:00 –14:20 ATIANA FADEEVA, ALEXANDRA STARU-
T
SEVA-PERSHEEVA (HSE University, Russia): 17:00 –18:00 AI X SOUND PERFORMANCE “Non-player
“See You in Zoom: Digitally Extended Pres- Piano”
ence as a New Normal”
Full video documentation
of the “Future Human” day
is available on the
conference’s website
12 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 13 FUTURE HUMAN Lev Manovich: “Aesthetic Society”
We live in aesthetic
We live in aesthetic society where the production of beauti-
ful images, interfaces, objects and experiences are central to
society where the pro-
its economic and social functioning, as well as the identities of
hundreds of millions of people. While aesthetic refinement has
duction of beautiful
Lev
been central to all human cultures for thousands of years, after
City University the rise of mass production of all consumer goods in the 19th
images, interfaces, ob-
of New York, USA century, the highest levels of such refinement were often only
available to the rich and upper middle class. But after 1990, the
jects and experiences
growth of global middle class, the emergence of experience
Manovich:
economy, the commercialization of “cool,” “hip,” “avant-garde,”
are central to its eco-
and “experimental”, new manufacturing methods and new ma-
terials, and the adoption of digital technologies changed this sit-
nomic and social func-
uation. Together, these forces lead to the development of what
“Aesthetic
I call “aesthetic society.”
tioning, as well as the
The aesthetic society is a society where aesthetics, de-
sign, and artistic creativity, originality, and innovation play
identities of hundreds
the key roles — both symbolically and economically. They
become core values of the whole society as opposed to
Society”
of millions of people.
being available to only selected social groups (such as
upper classes or professional artists.)
As an example, consider Xiaomi presentation of its new phones
(Mi 10T series) in September 2020. The term “creativity” was
used to motivate every feature of a phone throughout the pres-
entation. If earlier other values could have been in the center —
speed, functionality, convenience, or ease of use — here
everything was motivated by “creativity.” This term was used
to present both various photo and video functions in the phone, be mass produced. (The reason for this is that photographs or
Keynote and also more seemingly technical specs such as processor, video you capture, edit and publish don’t have to “work” — but
screen resolution, etc. furniture, cloves, buildings and other material structures do.)
paper Aesthetic societies existed in the past. Sometimes, the The new aesthetic media society has a much larger scale
production of certain objects was carried out by profes- than aesthetic societies in the past; it is in many ways
transcript sionals (i.e., crafts people) but other objects were made global; and its development is facilitated by global infor-
by every family for themselves. The industrialization, mass mation and media networks (e.g. Instagram, YouTube,
production, urbanization and population growth in the 19th etc.). For example, between 2016 and 2020, the number
century first in the West (and later in other parts of the of smart phone users (phones with advanced cameras)
world) have fundamentally changed the situation. Now grew from 2.5 to 3.5 billions. A large proportion of these
every object people use in their everyday life was creat- users capture photo and video, and they make aesthet-
ed in factories. New professions (e.g., “designer” in the ic decisions in this process. They try to make their pho-
Dr. Lev Manovich is one of the leading theorists of digital 1920s) emerged and these professionals become exclu- tos beautiful, they think about composition, and many of
culture worldwide and a pioneer in the application of data sive creators of all objects and services which have aes- them may edit their photos to enhance their aesthetics af-
science for analysis of contemporary culture. Manovich is the thetic dimension, while everybody else become consum- ter capture using any of thousands photo apps.
author and editor of 15 books including ‘Cultural Analytics’, ers of these objects and services. People who wanted The company behind one of the most popular photo editing
‘AI Aesthetics’, ‘Theories of Software Culture’, ‘Instagram to create aesthetic objects and experiences themselves app today founded in China talks about its mission in this way:
and Contemporary Image’, ‘Software Takes Command’, ‘Soft were defined as “amateurs” (e.g., an amateur photogra- “Founded in October 2008, Meitu has become one of Chi-
Cinema: Navigating the Database’ and ‘The Language of pher) and given their own tools of production (e.g,. 8 mm na’s top Internet enterprises owing to its leading AI-driven im-
New Media’, which was described as ‘the most suggestive motion picture film as opposed to professional 35mm film), age-and-video processing technologies and social communi-
and broad-ranging media history since Marshall McLuhan.’ associations, and spaces to practice their creative hobbies ty. Meitu's mission is "to let everyone become beautiful easily",
He was included in the list of ‘25 People Shaping the Future in organized manner (e.g., Houses of Culture in all com- with the concept of "beauty", or Mei (美) in Chinese, as the com-
of Design’ in 2013 and the list of ‘50 Most Interesting People munist countries in the second part of the 20th century). pany's core ideal.” Meitu app currently (Fall 2020) has one bil-
Building the Future in 2014. Manovich is a Presidential In the 21st century, we maybe gradually moving back to the lion users globally. The app functions allow users to beautify
Professor at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and a Director of preindustrial culture where larger proportion of people can cre- their faces in the captured photos and also do many other ed-
the Cultural Analytics Lab. The lab has created projects for ate aesthetic and professional looking objects and media them- its on the photos, create photo collages, and also edit video.
the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), New York Public Library, selves — but of course, this is not a simple return to the past. One important feature of contemporary aesthetic society
Google, and other clients. Manovich's latest book ‘Cultural Today mass creation is taking place only some cultural areas is its increasing adoption of AI technologies to assists us-
Analytics’ was published by The MIT Press in Fall 2020. such as photography and video while other objects continue to ers in their creative activities, such as capture and editing
14 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 15 FUTURE HUMAN Lev Manovich: “Aesthetic Society”
The aesthetic socie-
of media exemplified by apps such as Meitu. Of course, war is a good example.) In general, between 1870 and 1980, their individual worlds. An important catalyst for this new stage
automation of some operations in photo cameras has experimentation, explicit departure from traditions and rules and of anesthetization is a magazine Kinfolk published since 2010.
ty is a society where
already been common for many decades. First 35 mm the pursuit of unique style by each creator mostly happened Does the current aesthetics in lifestyle products and
SLR camera offering automatic exposure was released in the art fields and not in mass culture. In other words, it was spaces simply follow the modern design principles and
where aesthetics, de-
in 1962, and the first SLR camera with autofocus was of- mostly an exclusive domain of the modernist arts. aesthetics first developed in the 1920s in Bauhaus and
fered in 1981 (these were Topcon RE Super and Pentax But after 1980, mass culture slowly starts to adopt these Vkhutemas, and later expanded in Swiss Typography of
sign, and artistic cre-
ME F, respectively). However, today AI can also offer oth- ideas. In the 1980s, the design of storefronts and bou- the 1960s, Italian product design of the 1960s and oth-
er previously unavailable functions. For example, a new tiques absorbs installation art; music videos absorb ex- er 20th century design movements? Certainly contem-
ativity, originality, and
version of Google Photos released in Fall 2020 features perimental film; fashion enters its “modernist” experimen- porary focus on “clea,” and “simple” look, the generous
“suggestions” menu which recommends particular edits tal phase. (MTV was started in 1981, the same year as use of “negative space” and white backgrounds, “less is
innovation play the key
for the particular photo a user is looking at inside app. At IBM released the first PC. The first “aesthetic computer” more” and “minimalism” ideals can be traced to the 1920s
present such automatic edits and suggestions are tailored was Apple’s Macintosh released in 1984.) and 1960s. But there are also important newer aesthetic
roles — both symboli-
to each photo based on its generic subject (a portrait, a This process of adoption of modernist art methods as design strategies present, such as use of natural materials such
landscape, etc.) and not to the user aesthetic preferenc- methods for all areas of modern world (as well as later adop- as wood and stone, and the incorporation of deliberate-
cally and economically.
es. We can expect that in the future such AI will learn par- tion of post-modernist techniques) is complemented by another ly “non-designed” elements such as raw concrete walls.
ticular aesthetics preferred by each user and customize process. Modernism’s motto “make it new” replaces older logic Similarly, is it possible to reduce the recent phenomenon of an-
its editing suggestions accordingly, similar to what mu- of modern mass culture based on conventions and templates. esthetization of “everyday life” in both developed and many de-
sic recommendation services have already been doing Now the world outside of the arts adopts the same goal to cre- veloping countries to a single concept — traditional Asian “the
for years. AI can also suggest to user alternative aesthet- ating unique aesthetic experiences. For example, the idea be- art of living”? Starting in the middle of 2000s, some researchers
ics for their photos and help to expand their creative op- hind “design hotels” taking off in late 1990s is that each was of- working in philosophical aesthetics have started to discuss the
tions in the future. fering an individual design that you will not find anywhere else.
The first author who analyzed the growing aesthetization of Today in Korea, there are tens of thousands of cafes that offer
many aspects of modern society was Los Angeles cultural cri hotels build around the world would be called “design ho- striking and original space designs, and often also unique coffee
tic Victoria Postrel who published the book The Substance of tels” ten years ago. and tea based drinks. What previously was based on a template
Style in 2004. In the following fifteen years, the mass aesthe- However, the diffusion of refined aesthetics we saw already
tization of society advanced significantly, affecting many other does not not mean that the rise of aesthetic society has reached
and rules becomes an area for experimentation. Some common
features remain, of course: every cafe offers coffee drinks and
Therefore, we are jus-
types of products, spaces, and communications. The sophisti- its limits. I believe that this process may continue for many dec-
cation of aesthetics also advanced: today many cutting-edge ades. It is always possible to use and mix new materials and
wifi connection; a tea place offers teas and wifi connection; both
types also offer some seating objects and some tables or ta-
tified to refer to aes-
examples from 2004 appear naïve and simplistic. offer aesthetic effects that were not possible before. It is also
For an example, consider the design of contemporary mo- possible to offer more individualized or unique products and ex-
ble-like objects. But many other aspects of a place, objects or
service become open for “making it new” interventions.
thetic society as “de-
bile phones. As objects, they have precision, nuance and periences in many lifestyle areas.
aesthetic richness that before was only possible in very Look around you. While products, spaces, visual media,
And this is one of the key differences between modern
mass culture society of the 20th century and aesthetic
sign society.”
expensive objects such haute couture where each item and experience such as eating out have more interesting society of the 21st century. In the former, your everyday
is created by hand from start to finish with extreme atten- and refined aesthetics, they are still not individualized. To- life took place in the world of conventions, templates and
tion to detail. But in contrast to haute couture, today the day examples of mass individualization are still rare, and rules. To see something unexpected, you went to a mod-
same phone models are owned by people from most so- are also quite limited. Drogerie Market drugstores in Ger- ernist art exhibition, or to an experimental film screen- concept “aesthetization of everyday life”, with some connecting
cial classes, and the differences between $500 phone and many allow customers to customize their own personal ing. But today, the unexpected often surrounds you it to traditional Asian concept “aesthetics of living.” The Intro-
$1400 phone are not very large. care products — for example, selecting an existing shower everywhere in your everyday life —especially in most aes- duction to 2014 collection Aesthetics of Everyday Life: East and
The same democratization of refined aesthetics took place in a gel and then choosing from a number of fragrance choic- thetically advanced countries such as Korea, and other West notes: “..Chinese, Japanese and Korean traditional aes-
number of other areas such as hotels design, car design, web es, and also creating their own label. NIKE BY YOU (pre- Asian countries. (In contrast, modern art is still using new thetics offer a “prototype” of living aesthetics… Chinese aesthet-
design, and presentation of food in restaurants. The interior of viously called NIKEiD) and myadidas make possible for methods defined during the 1960s, and at least to me it ics is, at the outset, oriented towards everyday life, a most pro-
many economy cars in 2020 looks more sophisticated than the customers to customize their sport shoes. (Adidas start- is usually very predictable.) found difference from European classical aesthetics… “Whereas
interior of luxury cars ten years early. Similarly, today endless in- ed to customize shoes already in early 1990s but only for Since aesthetic redesign of the world is carried by design- aesthetics in the West tends to focus on the extraordinary, East-
expensive restaurants feature food presentation that ten years selected successful athletes.) ers — in web design, interaction design, user experience de- ern aesthetics already understands that the aesthetic may popu-
ago would only be available in selected expensive restaurants. While mass individualization where each customer can custo sign, food design, fashion design, product design, space de- late both the extraordinary and the ordinary forms of experience.”
Twenty years early, such aestheticized presentation was even mize a product in many ways is still mostly a promise today, a sign, and many other types. Therefore, we are justified to refer Although it is tempting to see the rise of anesthetization
more rare, only found in nouvelle cuisine and “molecular gas- different individualization process that started in the 1990s is al- to aesthetic society as “design society.” In the second part of and design wave starting in middle of the 1990s as the ex-
tronomy” restaurants. ready fully developed. Before that decade, many types of what the 1990s and early 2000s, people spoke of “design wave” to pansion of traditional Asian aesthetics, in my view the real
Democratization of sophisticated aesthetic starts in the we call today lifestyle products and experiences were designed describe growing aesthetization of the lifestyle world. Besides story is more complex. Consider this selected timeline. In
1990s. The first “design hotels” were already created ear- by selecting an established style or a “template” (e.g, existing design hotels, the important signs of this process were the mag- the 1910s–2020s, European geometric abstract paintings
lier: Blakes in London (1978) and Morgans (1984), Roy- conventions). Most chefs did not try to create dishes that would azine Wallpaper (1996) and the first “design store” Collette in and sculpture establishes first modern “minimalist” aes-
alton (1987) and Paramount (1989) in New York City. But be unique in taste or presentation —instead they followed the Paris (1997). As the aesthetization / design wave kept growing, thetics. In the 1920s, this aesthetics is expanded to design
the movement really takes off in 1993 when Claus Send- conventions. The hotels were designed in this or that existing it moved from professionally created spaces and products (such of objects, graphic design, typography and photography
linger founded Design Hotels group in 1993. It started style and did not try to stand out by uniqueness of design. (The as first all-white iPod in 2001) to the lives of hundreds of mil- by people teaching in Bauhaus in Germany and Vkhute-
with a list of 10 hotels; today (2020), the majority of new “International style” in architecture that become popular after the lions of people. In 2010s they become designers responsible for mas in Russia. In the 1960s, a new minimalist movement
16 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 17 FUTURE HUMAN Lev Manovich: “Aesthetic Society”
develops in US in visual arts, experimental film and music. 1r by train from Seoul) have aesthetic refinement and coordi- etc.) has the same aesthetic and design level as feature films to be quickly disposed. They are well made and durable.
In the 1990s, first design hotels and minimalist boutiques nation and generous use of empty space that in the West are or best TV series. And in the case of COS, the clothes offered capture the
are build in New York, Los Angeles and London. But in reserved for museums, top design hotels, boutiques of most In 2010, design and refinement came to the world of soft- general aesthetic and style of our times without follow-
Japan, many private buildings and also interiors of oth- expensive clothing brands, and very expensive private hous- ware applications, web applications and mobile operating ing closely particular looks and trends that are in fashion
er building types already follow minimalist aesthetics. In es and apartments with interiors created by top designers. But systems. In the early 1980s, Apple Computer was the first each season. And therefore, these cloves can be used
2000s, minimalist aesthetization appears in products such here in Korea these cafe are used by students to study. Their company to focus on design. Steve Jobs hired industri- for many years.
as Apple computers and consumer electronics (iPod, and everyday is what would be considered exceptional in the West. al Hartmut Esslinger who developed in the "Snow White" Note that “fast fashion” model started to also grow in later 1990s,
later mobile phones) and web design. In 2010, Instagram When I visited Seoul in 2000, I only saw the minimalist design language. Designer and artist Susan Kare was at the same time as the already mentioned “design waves.”
and Kinfolk magazine are launched, and they become highly refined aesthetics in selected places in the most responsible for the design of typefaces and fonts for the Fast fashion companies demoralized high fashion by bring-
both important instruments and signs in the new stage of prestigious and rich part of the city. In 2010, the contem- original 1984 Macintosh and later models. In 1992, de- ing to mass market cloves with very similar designs as shown
anesthetization of life. If before aesthetization was seen porary aesthetics was already diffused more widely and I signer Jonathan Ive joined Apple and led the next stage of in each season fashion weeks by top designers. But today, I
in products and spaces designed by companies, now mil- found in more city areas. And in 2020, I found it to be pres- design innovation with products such as iMac G3 (1998) find that many of these cloves look more interesting and more
lions of young people become “designers” of their “every- ent everywhere in Korea, including nature areas. The old- and iPod (2001). And only in the end of 2000s and 2010s “fresh” that many offerings of most expensive brands that feature
day” life and also public identities (created in Instagram, er Korea of 1960s–1990s — uninspiring buildings covered all other major companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Leno- very standard designs but show visibly brand’s logo. Walking
blogs and YouTube channels.) In part, they design their with competing business signs — is still here. Depending vo, HP LG and Samsung adopted more aesthetisized and through a shopping center in Bangkok or Being, often the most
“everydays” from existing products offered by Zara, Uniq- on the age of each city area and its function, such as res- refined design languages. In the second part of the 2010s, boring cloves are the ones from top European brands, while lo-
lo, COS, Apple, Samsung, LG and other global and local idential, business or leisure it can dominate or be less a new generation of apps for writing (Bear, Typora, etc.) cal brands feel more fresh and interesting — and they may cost
companies. They also craft these everyday using aes- present. (Remember that modern Korea is very young — it offered a more “minimal”, “light” and “clean” design from 20–30 times less.
thetics spaces of cafes, co-working spaces, hotels and begins in 195X after the end of Korean War.) But regard- the market leader Microsoft Office, while new image ed- At the same time, aesthetics matters today less than in the
guest houses, shopping centers, as well as cafe, tea and less of the city and areas I visit in 2020, the ultra-modern iting apps (Phase One) similarly offered more contempo- 1960s and 1970s — as reflected in a number of surveys of
juice drinks and food served aesthetically in these spac- cafes are present every few hundred meters, while inex- rary UI then market leader Adobe. French public conducted by Bourdieu for his books.
es. And their media “content” created for Instagram, You- pensive ($70-80 per night) and very well designed hotels As design society becomes more mature, the value of aesthetic He correctly theorized in this period that aesthetic taste func-
Tube, and their websites and blogs is automatically an- such as Shilla Stay are also frequent. It is hard for me changes. Paradoxically, in this society aesthetics is both more tions to legitimize class distinctions. The ability to enjoy high cul-
esthetized because of the interfaces and templates build to say if there were particular year or a few years during and less important than in the mass consumer society of the ture was associated with more refined sensibility — the privilege
into these platforms. But in many cases, they have to sys- this 20 year period when aesthetization growth suddenly 20th century. of certain classes defined by a combination of education, social
tematically learn the principles and techniques of aesthet- accelerated. Based on my visits to Seoul in 2000, 2006, It is more important because it matters to more people. capital and financial capital. However, today the correlations be-
ic minimalism — for example, to craft a gallery of photos 2010 and then every year, I feel that the process was As described in Pierre Bourdieu’s book Photography: A Middle tween class and taste are either much weaker or non-existent. If
on Instagram you still need to choose subjects of photos, gradual. (However, this can be analyzed quantitatively by Brow Art (1965) for most people involved in popular photogra- Zara can within days translate new looks of most expensive de-
compose photos and apply some editing — to increase using data such as dates and places of new design ho- phy at that time, aesthetics was seen as something foreign -– signers into its inexpensive versions, without any (or small) loss
contrast and sharpness, add white backgrounds, remove tels openings, or looking at the emergence and growth of reserved for professionals and upper classes. Comparing this to in aesthetic refinement, it becomes more challenging for any-
unwanted details, and so on. Similarly, while a person certain tags in users post on social media platforms, anal- photography on Instagram in the second part of 2010s, we see body to distinguish themselves through clothing. In another ex-
have access to millions of well made YouTube “haul” vid- ysis of clothes and styles in people photos shared on In- a big difference. In my Cultural Analytics Lab, we used compu- ample, the same photo filters and photo editing tools are acces-
eo where bloggers model many outfits for all occasions stagram, and in many other ways.) tational tools to analyze 17 million Instagram photos shared be- sible to everybody — in contrast to earlier decades when more
(“summer,” “work week”, “school,” “date”, etc), choosing Aesthetization trajectory also affects media and design of soft- tween 2012 and 2016 in 16 world cities. We found that at least in expensive media equipment allowed for more aesthetic control.
and coordinating your outfit every day still requires skills ware and interfaces. In the 20th century, design precision and big cities significant proportion of users were quite aware about Once the sophisticated aesthetic options become availa-
and knowledge — unless you always exactly copy looks aesthetization in different areas of media and communication the aesthetic possibilities of the medium, as opposed to only fol- ble to all classes, they matter less as tools of distinction.
and use items from these videos, without any edits, addi- varied a lot. But starting in the 1990s, gradually very high level lowing photo conventions that dictate what subjects and occa- This is what I mean when say that in aesthetic society,
tions or changes. (The great majority of these videos are become the norm in most areas including all commercial pho- sions should be photographed. aesthetics matters less than in previous periods.
created by woman and aimed at other young women, so tography, video, and television, and later personal video blogs, In another example, today one can look stylish, contempo-
man are at a disadvantage.) Other video blogs genres on websites, and personal photography shared online on Insta- rary, and fashionable without knowing much about fashion
YouTube such as “day in the life,” “morning routine,” and gram and other platforms. In the end of 2010s for example, trends. You simply visit Zara or a department store sell-
so on give you templates on what to do when you wake the media being produced for a wedding (video, a photo book, ing equally priced or cheaper cloves produced by big lo-
up and go to sleep, how to “chill” and “relax” and other as- cal brands that share similar principles — cloves that are
In my view, the three
pects of the everyday life. fashionable, often made from good fabrics, suitable for
In my view, the three stages of anesthetization in 1990–2020 — many occasions, and most importantly easily combina-
stages of anesthetiza-
first in professional space design and architecture, then in pro- ble with many other items. (Here minimalism and mono-
fessionally produced objects, interfaces, communication design, chrome black and white aesthetics are particularly useful,
tion were happen-
and media (cinema, TV, photography), and then in “everyday since you can combine such cloves easily.) Any combi-
life” of normal people — were happening in both West and East nation of the items offered at any time in such stores or
ing in both West and
more or less in parallel. But because traditional Asian cultures their websites is guaranteed to make you look aestheti-
indeed had a different understanding of the roles of the aesthet- cally advanced. Most of the clothing items cost about the
East more or less in
ics, the recent processes of aesthetization developed further in same as a lunch or dinner at a good restaurant, so young
Asia and at the same time are practiced by much larger propor- people can afford to buy new items often. Although these
parallel.
tions than in the West. For example, some of the cafes in Dae- clothes and brands producing them are often called nega-
jeon I see in 2020 (5th largest Korean city, population 1.5 million, tively “fast fashion,” in reality today they are not designed
18 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 19 FUTURE HUMAN Laini Burton: “Filters and Fakery — The 21st Century Mask”
E.M.: What role did assemblage play in the for- standing that the digital mask is employed here to protect
mation of virtual masks — with ‘stuck on’ details, the identity of people who were being persecuted because of
including faces? Could we see this as a past their sexuality. Knowing that the director used digital masks
phase used for new effects, which due to new for this purpose helps a viewer to accept that they do not see
Laini
technologies has developed into a separate field the true identity of the subject. What then takes precedence
Queensland College of Art, of experiment with facial image? is the purpose of the documentary. If the subjects of this film
Griffith University, Australia L.B.: Humanity's long history of experimentation with the face felt they were in danger, and that masking their identity was a
and body means that new technologies are just another man- way to circumvent retribution for what is effectively their right
ifestation of our fascination with our image. Technology is in a to choose — their sexuality — then my feeling is that the use of
Burton:
constant state of innovation, be it surgically invasive such as masking is warranted. It must be noted that the ‘borrowed’ (or
cosmetic surgery, or virtual alterations using apps, through to deep fake) faces used were those of volunteers, and there-
‘borrowed’ faces seen in deep fake technology. I see all these fore their consent makes the use of the technology ethical. It
applications as examples of how we struggle with the philo- has been revealed as deep fakes become more prevalent
“Filters
sophical mind/body dilemma. Although, philosophy has wran- that faces (or identities) are often used without consent (sto-
gled with this binary to reveal it is far more complicated. It is len), which creates new territory for identity theft. I am certain
what keeps us guessing, writing, studying and creating. Rue that disciplines such as Law, the Digital Humanities will be-
the day that the human brain is ‘decoded’. I like mystery, and I come occupied by this in the future, if they aren't already.
think what makes us interesting is the mystery of the unknow- E.M.: Can we talk about ‘anti-masking’ trends to-
and Fakery —
able human mind. day? I mean an honest self-demonstration as a
E.M.: What is the place of identity in the mod- response to the countless possible and available
ern virtual world of self-presentation? May we transformations. Or is unsightliness inevitably re-
say that sincerity prevails in verbal expression (in jected?
The 21st
confessions, etc), while the world and politics of L.B.: First, it is useful to distinguish ‘anti-maskers’ in the coro-
images have entirely captured social networks navirus epidemic as being a different form of anti-masking.
and other online areas? These people are foolish in my opinion. It is not difficult to
L.B.: This is a huge question, and difficult to answer in brief. wear a piece of cloth on your face to protect yourself and oth-
Identity politics are becoming increasingly complex as the ers from deadly viruses. I am astonished by the anti-masking
Century
world shifts and changes. These changes are dependent sentiments of some people. These attitudes herald the lack of
upon so many socio-cultural, political, historical and econom- education about viruses and transmission. The least we can
Interview ic conditions that it is impossible to arrive at a singular posi-
tion. Identity and representation will always be at the core of
do for our fellow humans is wear a mask to ensure the health
of the collective and return — if possible — to pre-coronavirus
conducted
Mask”
human interest. It is how we define ourselves. We are essen- freedoms.
tially an anthropocentric species which, unfortunately, has dire Second, I hope I understand your question correctly to as-
by Elena consequences for our environment and our fellow non-human
companions on Earth. Humans will always be captivated by
sume that you refer to people who choose not to mask their
face with digital technologies (filters, apps) or undergo any
Milanovskaya
PhD student, HSE University
their own image. The question remains, is there any room for surgical augmentation? If so, then people who choose not to
other species in our imagination for the world to be shared in filter their face/body, or use apps to alter their appearance,
a way that does not place the planet in environmental crisis? or have surgery to change their appearance, are admira-
The Anthropocene is a real threat, and yet, we do not hear its ble. As I have noted above, the media and beauty industries
call. When we are gasping for air, no image, social network, wield significant power in constructing cultural beauty stand-
or web presence will save us. ards. To reject this pressure is to assert real confidence. How-
E.M.: In your speech, you cited the words of one ever, these tools have also become a way for some users to
of the creators of the film Chechnya. He said that gain self-confidence. This is contextually dependent. Younger
the mask ‘…allows the hero, speaking with his generations will always be the first to take up these opportuni-
voice with someone else's appearance, to ex- ties, and they will also be the loudest voices in terms of resist-
Dr Laini Burton is Senior Lecturer at the Queensland College press his identity’. Do you agree with this? What ance to them. What is necessary is education around digi-
of Art, Griffith University where she is the Convenor of High- feelings did you have as a spectator when you tal literacy in the use of these tools, so people do not come to
er Degree Research Programs. Her research interests centre saw the real face of one of the main characters, have unrealistic expectations about themselves or others. I do
on body politics, bio-art and design, contemporary art practise when he decided to give a press conference? sometimes wish that messages of self-acceptance were loud-
and criticism, fashion theory, performance and body/spatial re- Did the other heroes at this moment become a er than the call of some of these technologies.
lations. In particular, her focus lies in the historical dimension little ‘different’, a little less real for you? I mean and proofread material.
and contemporary applications of new technologies in art and those characters, whose identity we can't fully E.M.: What does it tell researchers and common
design, including areas such as embodiment and technology, perceive? users that people have started to experiment so
and the shaping of identities and everyday life by through cre- L.B.: The use of ‘masks’ in this documentary movie repre- readily with their image, including their body and
ative practices. sents the latest technology of the ‘deep fake’. It is my under- age, using masking apps?20 DVHG DIGEST 2020 Conference Digest 21 FUTURE HUMAN
L.B.: What people do with their appearance, or how they re- Typically, when we wear a mask, it is to protect, disguise,
late to their bodies or aging is dependent upon so many fac- or hide our identity, or masks are worn to embolden us to step
tors — class, culture, colour, economic conditions, education, into a kind of character (as in theatre masks). Again, not all
and sexuality among them. These positionalities have conse- masks are something we physically ‘put on’. By this, I mean
Dmitry
quences for the way we experience and perceive our bodies, that I wear my ‘professional mask’ at work—a persona that is Curator, The National
and our lived subjectivity. I can only connect deeply to my own appropriate to the environment. Conversely, at home, I feel Center for Contemporary
Arts (Baltic Branch, Russia)
experience in these facts of life. And, I do separate my expe- no need to mask myself, perform or adopt any persona since
rience as a scholar and researcher from my experience as a I am in my personal space; my safe space. Masks and mask-
common user of mask applications. As a scholar I am more ing reveal to us that we are conscious of our actions and in-
Bulatov:
critical, analytical and reflective, whereas when engaging with teractions. Therefore, while the VR headset may fit the crite-
these technologies as a common user, I am more playful. ria for a mask in that it covers the face, even if only partially, it
When I analyze how the phenomenon of masking is ap- is not worn for the same purposes that masks are traditional-
plied in various platforms and disciplines (Instagram, film, art, ly worn. I, therefore, consider it quite different. As we increas-
“Posthuman
fashion), it is clear that representation remains a central con- ingly engage with new forms of technology—including virtual
cern for humans. Since records began, and since cave paint- worlds—I believe VR will improve, and we will see it incorpo-
ings were discovered, we can see that humans have always rated into an increasing amount of activity (retail, interior de-
been concerned to record and represent themselves in par- sign, skills development, etc). Perhaps then it will become
ticular, usually favourable, ways. Ultimately, we are a vain more of a form of conscious masking.
Curating”
species. Yet representation is so much deeper than this, as E.M.: Could you please tell the story of any mask
discourses on beauty, critical race studies, aesthetics and so (or type of mask) that particularly interests you?
many other fields of inquiry reveal. L.B.: What a lovely question! You may know that I am ob-
E.M.: The coronavirus has affected the fashion sessed with masks and there are so many that I find particu-
industry, including work itself with a mask. What larly fascinating. I may offer a couple of examples as a way to
is the leading trend: a) a mask as something ba- demonstrate how masks have long occupied my imagination.
sic (but a designer one), or b) a mask as a bright I have always been intrigued by the seventeenth-century
accessory with a utilitarian function (like a fan Plague Doctor masks which appear bird-like and were stuffed
or a bonnet)? How do you see it? And which of with herbs and spices, along with a treacle-like substance to
Interview conducted
these approaches is more likely to take root in ward off ‘miasma’ (bad smells which were believed at the time
the future? to carry disease). I can only imagine how horrifying it would
by Dmitry Davidov
L.B.: It can be both a and b. What I believe scholarship on have been to see the Plague Doctor walking the streets in the PhD student, HSE University
masks and masking will do is allow a broader interpretation seventeenth century. It would have signaled a sure sign that
of masks, their uses and function. Although, how an individu- death lingered not far away.
al adopts the mask will be entirely subjective. They may see Second, my interest in fashion masks grows as more and
it as a base artefact, worn out of necessity, or they may see more designers use them in their collections. I have been col-
it as an accessory. Sometimes, they will combine these two. lecting images of fashion masks for about ten years. There
What will be telling is how our attitudes to masking change as are so many designers creating them now, however, in my
global developments on the coronavirus come to light. forthcoming book Masks in Fashion and Popular Culture: An- Dmitry Bulatov is an artist, curator and art theorist. His re-
E.M.: Every mask is a tool for being in a role, onymity, Empowerment and Identity (Bloomsbury, 2023), I will search focuses on different aspects of interdisciplinary art me-
seeing yourself as someone else, interacting be focusing on a few designers or fashion houses in particu- dia, as well as on submediality aesthetics. His artworks have
with the world differently, in fact, to change it to lar—Walter Van Beirendonck, Jun Takashi, Givenchy, Mai- been presented internationally at events such as the 49th
fit the new mask-image. The VR headset looks son Margiela and Gareth Pugh among them. For me, fashion and 50th Venice Biennale (2001, 2003), Ars Electronica Fes-
like a type of mask, its very aim is to make the masks amplify the fantasy element of haute couture. tival (ORF, 2002) and many others. He has curated more
world around us, different. Do masks in the twen- Finally, as we discussed above, I am intrigued by the cre- than twenty major exhibitions in Russia and abroad, includ-
ty first century and VR headsets have any com- ative potential of digital masking. So many of us already do ing ‘SOFT CONTROL: Art, Science and the Technological Un-
mon features? Or are they completely different this when we choose a filter for our image, however, with new conscious’ as part of the Maribor — European Capital of Cul-
things? technology such as deep fake, it will be interesting to watch ture 2012 event. He is the author of a number of books and
L.B.: This is an interesting question that invites multiple re- as the possibilities and conflicts arise through its application. anthologies, including BioMediale. Contemporary Society and
sponses. My first impression is that the VR headset is a mask E.M.: Thank you! Genomic Culture (Kaliningrad, 2004), and Evolution Haute
and yet, it is an inward-facing, or rather, an ‘unconscious’ Couture: Art and Science in the Post-Biological Age (Kalinin-
mask. By this, I mean that when we put on a VR headset/ grad, 1 vol., 2009; 2 vol., 2013). He is a two-time winner of
mask, we are immersed in a virtual world. We forget the ex- the National Innovation Award for contemporary arts (2008
ternal world and our actions become ‘unconscious’ as we re- and 2013), and a Golden Nica nominee from Prix Ars Elec-
spond to the stimuli within the game or virtual environment tronica (Austria, 2014) in the category Visionary Pioneers of
(we may wave our arms around in the air and pay no attention Media Art. Since 1998, he has been a curator at the Baltic
to the fact that we may appear silly, for example). Branch of the National Center for Contemporary Arts (Russia).You can also read
