Garnet Hertz (USA) "Cockroach-Controlled Mobile Robot", 2006

Art Laboratory Berlin is pleased to present a collection of documentary films about artworks recently created using the latest twenty-first century technologies: artificial life, robotics, bio and genetic engineering. The screening has been organized by the curator and artist Dmitry Bulatov in conjunction with the National Centre for Contemporary Arts (Kaliningrad branch, Russia).

The films document artworks whose medium is living or lifelike matter, and the properties of living organisms and technologically reproduced artefacts are combined to produce the method. Art created under these new conditions of post-biology - that is, under conditions of artificially generated life - cannot avoid making this artificiality its explicit theme. We are thus again confronted with the question of the relationship between art and life in a completely new context defined by biological and abiological creations, works, and beings.

This collection is the first comprehensive overview of the current stage of contemporary techno-biological art. It provides a panorama of artistic strategies for granting and withdrawing the gift of authenticity. The analysis of these strategies opens up new possibilities for creative production and cultural commentary. In 2009 the Evolution Haute Couture project won the National Innovation Prize (Moscow, Russia), awarded annually for achievements in contemporary visual arts.

The film screening also coincides with the first volume of the anthology Evolution Haute Couture: Art and Science in the Post-Biological Age. Edited by Dmitry Bulatov. Book plus two DVD-ROMs collection (45 video documentaries), KB NCCA, Kaliningrad, 2009. (ISBN: 978-5-94620-054-7). This publication is supported by The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, The Ford Foundation (The Moscow Office, Russia), The Dynasty Foundation (Moscow). Web site: www.videodoc.ncca-kaliningrad.ru/eng/

SCREENING PROGRAM

Bill Vorn, Emma Howes, Jonathan Villeneuve (Canada) "Grace State Machines" (7'40")
The Tissue Culture & Art Project (TC&A): Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr (Australia) "NoArk" (7'51")
Arthur Elsenaar and Remko Scha (The Netherlands) "Morphology / Face-Shift" (10'45")
Ken Rinaldo (USA) "The Autotelematic Spider Bots" (10'56")
Stelarc (Australia) "Extra Ear: Ear On Arm" (5'12")
Joe Davis (USA) "Making Fire" (10'25")
Marcel-li Antunez Roca (Spain) "Epizoo" (3'21")
Erwin Driessens and Maria Verstappen (The Netherlands) "Tickle Salon" (8'16")
Julie Freeman (United Kingdom) "The Lake" (5'00")
Laura Beloff (Finland) "The Fruit Fly Farm" (8'42)
Marta de Menezes (Portugal) "DECON" (9'00")
Paula Gaetano Adi (Argentina) "Alexitimia - an autonomous robotic agent" (7'08")
Paul Granjon (France) "Sexed Robots" (4'18")
SymbioticA Group (Australia) and The Potter Lab (USA) "MEART - The Semi Living Artist" (7'28")
Floris Kaayk (The Netherlands) "Metalosis Maligna" (7'26")

The screening will follow a short introduction by Dmitry Bulatov, and afterwards there will be a panel discussion with Dmitry Bulatov, Elena Ryabkova (Museum of the World Ocean, Kaliningrad, Russia), and Christian de Lutz (Art Laboratory Berlin).

This project is presented in cooperation with the National Centre for Contemporary Arts (Kaliningrad branch, Russia).