The artist Stanza, an alumnus of the Centre for Research and Education in Art and Media (CREAM) doctoral programme at the University of Westminster, has been awarded a S+T+ARTS artist residency to investigate cities, algorithms and consciousness in the age of AI.
The theme of the residency is Machine Sapiens and the City. The programme asked applicants to propose how artists could enhance the oracular power of AI to reveal the needs and the desires of cities. It invited artists to co-create with AI to imagine and reveal invisible aspects of cities and make them visible. Stanza submitted a proposal and was awarded for his project Koinocity: Entangled Cities.
Stanza said: “The project explores the future of cities governed by algorithms, creating a data-driven co-creation system that acts as an autonomous ‘consciousness,’ monitoring the invisible city in real time and generating artwork through data visualisation. It addresses the relationship between AI and the city, seeking to make visible the hidden interactions between humans and non-human agents.”
Professor Neal White, Co-director of CREAM, said: “Stanza's work has for many years challenged technology as a neutral force in society. Through his PhD at CREAM, Stanza focused on his own role within the emergent field of technologically focused ‘surveillance art,' indicating where new challenges may lie, particularly in urban and city environments. The S+T+ARTS prize is a major award and clearly provides Stanza a platform to work with a major European City to address the role of AI, that presents a challenge to all of society. We are delighted for Stanza; he is an exemplar of the role that art and artists play in research-led challenges, tackling some of the most complex societal issues of our time.”
The S+T+ARTS residency focuses on the intersection of science, technology and the arts. It is managed by Ars Electronica and funded through the European Commission. This residency is administered by the MEET Digital Culture Center of Fondazione Cariplo, an Italian organisation that supports digital culture and creative technology.
This has been a busy year for Stanza after solo shows for his artwork at Samek Art Museum USA, HNF Paderborn Germany and the Deutsches Museum Nuremberg.
Learn more about Art, Design and Visual Culture courses at the University of Westminster.
