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Table of Contents

The Intersection of Art, Technology, and Emotion: Performance Art Redefined

The Poetics of the Body: Exploring Biometric Expression

POEMPORTRAITS 2017 Exhibit by Es Devlin

In the current era of advanced technology, where artificial intelligence has firmly established itself, biometrics has evolved into a crucial security tool. Facial, retina, and fingerprint verification, which were formerly popularized in James Bond flicks, have evolved significantly and now have creative applications. Who could have anticipated that biometrics would evolve from a basic means of verification into a tool for artists, captivating art aficionados in unprecedented ways?

Many artists are becoming drawn to biometric art as the next prominent trend. Biometric art refers to artwork that is generated utilizing the biometric data of either the audience or the creators themselves.

The Intersection of Art, Technology, and Emotion: Performance Art Redefined

Performance artists have consistently succeeded in making a lasting impression on individuals. The artists aim to evoke emotions in their audience, which have a lasting impact as individuals are deeply affected by the conveyed feelings. The transition from traditional to immersive art in contemporary times is substantial, and technology is further intensifying such emotions in the realm of performance arts. 

The transition is best explained by Sentient By Elysian, a company known for its engineers' continuous efforts to create captivating works of art by integrating art, AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies. Their Holobox, powered by AI and based on Venom, is certain to capture your attention.

In 2013, the Italian performance artist Marco Donnarumma captivated his audience in Madrid with his extraordinary performance titled Hypo Chrysos. With a stooped posture, he exerts great effort to move the concrete blocks across the stage during his performance, showcasing his meticulous artistry to the audience. The XTH Sense, a biophysical device attached to his arm, captures the sound produced by his muscles and bones while he manipulates the blocks. These distorted sounds are then projected to the audience via loudspeakers.

In 2019, Sarah Nicolls, an experimental pianist from the U.K., astounded the audience with her unique performance in London. Seated in a dimly lit performance hall, she performs Atau Tanaka's (2019) biometric piano composition Suspensions by using her arm motions. The Myo Armbands on her arms produce odd sounds in response to her gestures.

The Poetics of the Body: Exploring Biometric Expression

In Yoon Chung Han's biometric art exhibition, artists are able to express their emotions through many means, such as their hearts, actions, and even their eyes. This is demonstrated by the transformation of data from the human iris into melodic sounds and 3D animated pictures.

Eyes, which was introduced in 2018, enables viewers to explore their own identities by immersing themselves in unique visual and auditory experiences created by their iris patterns. This multi-sensory interpretation of the iris data art has the potential to uncover unexplored opportunities by exposing individuals' stories and generating their unique "sonic signature." According to the artist, this will ignite a new and innovative form of cooperation in the worlds of art and science.

Pulse, created by Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, is an outstanding illustration. Lozano-Hemmer initially conceived the idea of incorporating biometric data into art when he attentively observed the heartbeats of his twin infants while they were still residing within their mother's uterus. Lozano-Hemmer designed three interactive works for the exhibition, including different types of biometric data, such as heart rates and fingerprints.

The initial phase of the installation, referred to as Pulse Index, involves the utilization of a 220x digital microscope and a heart rate sensor to capture the fingerprints and heartbeats of participants. Remarkably, screens that pulse with every heartbeat can display an impressive number of 10,000 fingerprints. The second work, Pulse Tank, utilizes sensors to detect pulses generated by participants' hands. These pulses create ripples in bright water tanks, which in turn project patterns onto the gallery walls. 

The ultimate piece, Pulse Room, showcases an array of numerous incandescent light bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Participants grasp a handle-shaped sensor to convey their cardiac rhythm, which is then translated into pulses of light. Simultaneously, light bulbs illuminate in perfect harmony with the heartbeats of the participants.

The aforementioned illustrations effectively demonstrate the transformation of eyes and the beat of a heart into artistic expressions. However, what about the creation of poetry?

POEMPORTRAITS 2017 Exhibit by Es Devlin

Es Devlin, an English artist and stage designer, is accomplishing something unprecedented in the art world. Es Devlin is renowned for her creation of large-scale sculptures and immersive spaces that seamlessly integrate music, language, and sensory elements. Her Poem Portraits created a lasting impression on the audience. Es Devlin collaborates with Google Arts & Culture Lab and creative technologist Ross Goodwin to showcase her distinctive artwork to the world. On this occasion, she engages her audience, who actively participate in her extensive immersive installation, resulting in the creation of poems. The artwork represents the convergence of artificial intelligence and human creativity, integrating machine learning, design, and poetic aspects.

Goodwin developed the algorithm of the art model to generate poetry by analyzing a corpus of approximately 25 million words written by poets from the 19th century. This methodology encourages individuals to contribute a solitary word of their preference, which is subsequently included into a two-line poetry created by this distinctive algorithm. This results in a continuously developing communal poem. Every word contributed to the collective poem will produce a distinct POEMPORTRAIT, showcasing one's face lighted by a unique line of poetry.

This is undeniably capable of rendering someone dumbfounded! Intentional pun!

To sum up!

Biometric art is a dynamic and fast-progressing notion that has a significant influence on numerous elements of life. Artists are exploring the potential of biometrics in creating art, whether through live performances, collaborative projects involving both the audience and artists or installations that capture physiological data such as heartbeats or motion. These biometric inputs are then replicated using natural or artificial elements in projections, resulting in a completely new and innovative artistic experience.