Stelarc visits ARM Hub
The performance artist on embodied AI, robotics and the slippage between intention and outcome.
What happens when art and technology perform in tandem?
Australian performing artist Stelarc joined ARM Hub for a tour on 25 March as part of his work with QUT. Stelarc's performances leverage AI and robotics to extend the capabilities of the human body, gaining international acknowledgement over four decades as a pioneer of performance arts across Japan, Korea, China, Europe, the USA and Australia.
During the visit, Stelarc joined us for a sit-down conversation about his art, his impressions of ARM Hub and the future of embodied AI and robotics.
I think it's really about being open to possibilities. The definition of art for me is the slippage that occurs between intention and outcome.
Stelarc
Describing ARM Hub as the highlight of his trip to Brisbane, Stelarc was energised by the factory floor. "It's an exciting kind of environment, both in terms of robotic development and actualising large art projects."
For one of his notable projects, Ear on Arm, the artist surgically attached an ear to his left arm, further transformed into a functional organ using his own adult stem cells. From the time of conceptualisation to exhibition, the project lasted for over ten years.
Stelarc explained how his current exhibition, Recursive Flesh, is a departure from his previous work in terms of leveraging robotics in a different manner. In Recursive Flesh, his body movements generate a virtual body through AI interpretation, which feeds back to the physical body as sound, visuals and electrical music stimulation.
Most people are excited about LLMs because you can simply prompt the artificial intelligence to do coding for you, but I'm more interested in incorporating AI in the biological embodiment within the concept of an extended operational system.
Stelarc
Stelarc's visit to ARM Hub demonstrated how contemporary art can act as a catalyst, bringing artists, researchers and industry into conversation in ways that are generous, curious and forward-looking.
Vanessa Van Ooyen, Director, QUT Galleries and Museums