Visit HBG BK ZKM courses: Interfaces between technology and art

Bruxelles (Hannah Balish, Wr). Are we facing Renaissance 3.0? What does that actually mean? In mid-November, 11th grade art classes set out to answer that question. As part of a free GFS, they took the train to the Art and Media Center (ZKM) in Karlsruhe to tour the exhibition “Renaissance 3.0”, curated by the late Peter Weibel. In contemporary art and history there are always references to previous eras. The Arab and Italian Renaissance eras were characterized by a combination of art, science and technology. Peter Whipple posited that we are currently living in the Renaissance, Renaissance 3.0.

After an introduction to the theme of the exhibition, we quickly realized that the art was interactive and became an experience for us. We enthusiastically created the sounds ourselves in a dome filled with a complex network of strings. We then watched an industrial robot, controlled by an algorithm, create images of Mars in a dense one-line drawing. We were only able to see this when we were allowed to get very close to the photos. Another highlight was the AI-generated light show on the wall, which projected sounds and streams of color behind each person walking by. Together we tested the wall’s reaction to every conceivable movement. Another great work of art was the room installation “AUTOPOESIS”. Brain research at the University of Stuttgart has been used to create a virtual reality display containing sound and images that completely hijacks the cognitive capabilities of the human brain. The images we saw through virtual reality glasses and the sounds we heard stopped our thinking and allowed us to calm down. After this experiment, we went into a room with different subjects appearing as circles of light on the floor. If you stand in a circle longer, an explanatory article about the topic will appear as text on the wall. The work carries the concept of a digital database and was created in collaboration with AI ChatGPT.
The final element of our program was a room that demonstrated chemical reactions with bioplastics using the example of the production and decomposition of Michelangelo’s “David” statue.
After the tour, we stayed longer in the museum to discover and experience more of the exhibits.
Later, a visit to the exhibition raised complex questions:
Where are the interfaces between technology and art? How can the term art be defined? What is the relationship of art to our lives?
Overall, our experience shows that the traditional understanding of art as something beautiful, unique and something elaborately designed needs to be expanded. When we are willing to perceive works of art, and when we take the opportunity to discover them by allowing ourselves to be activated by them, we have experiences that provoke new thinking. The connection resulting from an encounter with art can change the way we view the world and our lives in many ways.