Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech
Reimagining Creativity: a conversation about AI, data, and robotics in art
Tuesday Oct 1, 2024 | 5:30-7:30PM
The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design
422 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta GA 30318

Parking:
Visitor Lot 5 (State Street) or Visitor Lot 4 (State Street and Ferst Drive)

About Event:

Reimagining creativity: a conversation about AI, data, and robotics in art centers around tech- enabled art that explores humanity, sustainability and creativity in a digital world. This panel will feature three key artists working in the space of AI, bioengineering, wearable technology, and 3D printing and be moderated by Georgia Tech’s Associate Vice Provost for the Arts, Jason Freeman. The artists featured on this panel are Bojana Ginn, Noura Howell, and Samuel Thurman.

Bojana Ginn will discuss her current work, ORCHID’S DREAM/Transformation of the Unseen which is part of her ongoing residency at Georgia Tech. ORCHID’S DREAM is a visual and experiential representation of the possibility for positive change. In a sculpture made of polyester interwoven with plastic-eating fungi, it confronts the juxtaposition of permanence and decay, creation and destruction, and ultimately hope. This piece delves into the urgent conversation surrounding plastic pollution, a pervasive issue that haunts our ecosystems, oceans, and landscapes.

Noura Howell’s Heart Sounds Bench amplifies people’s live heart sounds using modified stethoscopes for an auditory experience of sonic data that does not collect your data. Howell draws from postcolonial philosopher Glissant’s call for the right to opacity and thinks biosensing technology should respect people’s right to be opaque, unknowable, to exist outside and beyond what it is possible to know via data. Howell explores surveillance within digital technology, and how digital technologies can be used to explore our multiplicities and depth as humans, as opposed to being flattened out, categorized, and tracked by digital devices.

Samuel Thurman will discuss his art and design studio, Maygra, and the work he creates. Maygra stands as a beacon of innovation and craftsmanship in the realm of AI-driven design. Their mission is to harmonize the precision of artificial intelligence with the warmth of human artistry, creating unique pieces that transcend traditional furniture design. At the heart of Maygra's philosophy is the belief that AI is not a replacement for human creativity but a collaborator that enhances it. This fusion allows us to explore intricate patterns and forms, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in design.

About the Artists/Panelists:

Bojana Ginn is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, former medical doctor and scientist, Dr. Ginn works at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Ginn's journey from medicine to the arts is a testament to her belief in the healing power of creativity. Her work transcends traditional boundaries, advocating for health as a fundamental human right and exploring the body and landscape in the context of digital and biotechnological advancements and climate change.

Currently Georgia Tech’s Artist in Residence, Ginn is a recipient of the Ellsworth Kelly Award, granted by the Foundation for Contemporary Art in New York. Finalist for the World Technology Award in Art, Ginn served as a fellow at The World Technology Network, New York. Her work has been exhibited at the Venice Architectural Biennale, Museum of Art and Design in New York, Espronceda Institute of Art and Culture in Barcelona, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, David J. Sencer CDC Museum in Atlanta, Cyber Center in Augusta, GA, Interni Magazine platform in Milan, Italy, New York’s Art and Science in America, and many others.

Noura Howell is an assistant professor in Digital Media, in the School of Literature Media and Communication, at Georgia Tech, with an adjunct assistant professor appointment in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. Howell’s research has been funded by an NSF CAREER award, a Google TensorFlow Faculty Award, and a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, among other sources.

Howell directs the Future Feelings Lab. This Lab develops novel technologies that create unique feelings both physical and emotional. They also investigate the social and ethical impacts of Emotion AI, which aims to predict human emotions via computational means. The methods used are wide-ranging, including arts research, interviews, autoethnography, and psychophysical studies.

Samuel Thurman is an architectural designer, 4D filament artist, and AI generative designer who explores the intersection of technology and tradition through his work. With a background in architecture from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Architecture from Georgia Tech,

Thurman combines cutting-edge techniques with a deep interest in artistic existentialism and the search for meaning. As the founder of Maygra Studios, he is dedicated to creating designs that challenge perceptions, advance human consciousness, and promote harmonious living. Thurman is also involved in bio-inspired design research, digital fabrication, and entrepreneurship, aiming to make a lasting impact on the world.

About the Moderator:
Jason Freeman is the interim associate vice provost for the Arts (AVP-Arts) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a professor in the School of Music. Freeman’s scholarly research and creative work focuses on using technology to engage diverse audiences in collaborative, experimental, and accessible musical experiences. He also develops educational interventions that integrate music and computing to broaden and increase engagement in STEM disciplines. He is co-creator of EarSketch, a free, web-based learning platform that teaches coding through music composition and remixing. EarSketch has been used by more than 1 million students worldwide and has been translated into six languages.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its more than 47,000 undergraduate and graduate students represent 54 U.S. states and territories and more than 143 countries. They study at the main campus in Atlanta, at instructional sites around the world, or through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.