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Artist Profile
Fraunhofer IAO
Creative, innovative, and relevant: The Fraunhofer network brings together researchers, artists, and designers.
How can science be inspired by art and design - and vice versa? What do researchers, artists, and designers have in common? How can they engage in a creative dialogue and take a stand side by side on overarching issues?
These and other questions are addressed by the Fraunhofer Network “Science, Art and Design”, which was founded in the spring of 2018 and aims to promote interdisciplinary discourse between applied research, art, and design. Joint research projects, idea competitions, residencies, and exhibitions bring together participants from various fields of knowledge, allowing new perspectives on complex social challenges to emerge.
Since its foundation, the network has enjoyed growing popularity. Currently, 26 institutes and facilities, as well as the headquarters of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, are members of the network. They all contribute their diverse expertise and contacts in the fields of art and design.
Artwork
Techno-Anima
Under the direction of Yannick Hofmann, the Fraunhofer IAO is developing an interactive media art installation in collaboration with media artist Daniel Heiss and IT specialist Tobias Haller as part of the Techno-Anima project. The work is based on the research project “Techno-Anima”, which explores so-called multi-agent systems. These are AI programs that collaborate to accomplish tasks. It serves as a simulation environment for negotiation processes involving groups comprising both human and non-human actors.
On four screens, four virtual figures encounter one another. They exchange ideas, ask questions, and try to solve problems together. They almost seem human: with their own voices, ways of thinking, and little quirks. The installation demonstrates how artificial intelligence can now think collaboratively in a team. Through the interaction of the figures, a space full of new questions emerges: How similar are these digital beings to us? What do they reveal about our thinking, our language, our creativity—and what role does the human play in all of this?
The aim is to address the anthropomorphism of AI and its social role. To develop the multi-agent system, a three-part interdisciplinary series of events will be held using participatory innovation methods to generate new ideas and approaches. This will stimulate broader reflection on the project's topics and promote a diverse discourse.
The project is funded by the Fraunhofer Network Science, Art, and Design. We aim to promote interdisciplinary discourse between applied research, art, and design. Joint research projects, idea competitions, residencies, conferences and exhibitions bring together participants from various fields of knowledge, allowing new perspectives on complex social challenges to emerge. Get in touch: wkd@fraunhofer.de
The exhibition was created with the support of the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe.
PHOTO CREDITS: (c) Yannick Hofmann
