The Human Use of the Human Face: The Photographic Self-­Portrait in the Age of the Selfie

Karen Ann Donnachie's research explores the phenomenon of the selfie as a vehicle for the mass projection of self and the effect it has on contemporary notions of identity, society and photography. During her practice-led research, Donnachie created electronic, algorithmic and Internet artworks including self-made and self-programmed ‘selfie’ cameras. This thesis maps the complex genre of the selfie between performance, narcissism, social tic, intrinsic desire for self-projection and a quest for authenticity and human connection

Do androids dream of electric copyright? Comparative analysis of originality in artificial intelligence generated works

The advent of sophisticated artificial neural networks has opened new artistic opportunities, but also a variety of new legal challenges. Computer programs such as Google's Deep Dream can take an image and process it in manners that resemble biological networks, producing artwork that is both unique and unpredictable. The law is not unfamiliar with the challenges of artificial intelligence, in the past academics and policymakers have had to deal with the legal implications of autonomous agents in contract formation, just to name one are of interest. However, for the most part the implementation of smart systems has been limited in their reach and scope, and in many instances autonomous agents required quite a lot of direction from the programmer, following a very stringent set of rules. This meant that for the most part all rights, responsibilities and liabilities arising from artificial agents fell squarely on the program creator. Neural networks are different, these systems have the potential to generate works in which human interaction is minimal. Modern copyright law has been drafted to consider originality as an embodiment of the author’s personality, and originality is one of the main requirements for the subsistence of copyright. So, what happens when you remove personality from the equation? Are machine-created works devoid of copyright? Do we need to change copyright law to accommodate autonomous artists? This session will explore this and other questions

The New Aesthetic and Art: Constellations of the Postdigital

The case for the new aesthetic -- Manifestations of the new aesthetic -- Glitch ontology and the new aesthetic -- Setting the stage : the new precursorsand boundaries for a new aesthetic art -- Letting go : new aesthetic artists and the new aesthetic art that works -- Teleology and the new aesthetic -- Conclusion -- References -- Biographies. The new aesthetic and art: constellations of the postdigital is an interdisciplinary analysis focusing on new digital phenomena at the intersections of theory andcontemporary art. Asserting the unique character of New Aesthetic objects, Contreras-Koterbay and Mirocha trace the origins of the New Aesthetic in visual arts, design, and software, find its presence resonating in various kinds of digital imagery, and track its agency in everyday effects of the intertwined physical world and the digital realm. Contreras-Koterbay and Mirocha bring to light an original perspective that identifies an autonomous quality in common digital objects and examples ofart that are increasingly an important influence for today\u27s culture and society.https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1118/thumbnail.jp