Taste and the algorithm

Today, a consistent part of our everyday interaction with art and aesthetic artefacts occurs through digital media, and our preferences and choices are systematically tracked and analyzed by algorithms in ways that are far from transparent. Our consumption is constantly documented, and then, we are fed back through tailored information. We are therefore witnessing the emergence of a complex interrelation between our aesthetic choices, their digital elaboration, and also the production of content and the dynamics of creative processes. All are involved in a process of mutual influences, and are partially determined by the invisible guiding hand of algorithms. With regard to this topic, this paper will introduce some key issues concerning the role of algorithms in aesthetic domains, such as taste detection and formation, cultural consumption and production, and showing how aesthetics can contribute to the ongoing debate about the impact of today’s “algorithmic culture”

Sharing as speech act

Social media platforms allow users to perform different speech acts: status updates could be assertives, a like is an expressive, a friendship request is a directive, and so on. But sharing (or "retweeting") seems to lack a fixed illocutive status: this explains why present controversies concerning the sharing of misinformation have been debated in legal procedure and discussed from the point of view of personal responsibility without reaching a general consensus. The premise of this paper is that the diffusion of false or unwarranted information could be better analyzed if we consider sharing a precisely definable speech act. I will describe some dominant interpretations of the act of sharing that are not, however, sufficient to fully explain it. As an alternative, it will be shown that there is a specific illocutive structure of the act of sharing, which not only consists in asserting the "shareworthiness" or the relevance of a content, but is primarily comparable to an "attention-orienting" directive

Strategies of irreproducibility

In this paper I focus on the topic of reproducibility (and irreproducibility) of aesthetic experience and effects, distinguishing it from the traditional subject of artifact reproducibility. The main aim is to outline a typology of the various kind of irreproducibility of aesthetic experience and to draw some implications for the aesthetic discussion concerning contemporary art. Depending on the type of artwork, we can define the difference (or the “ratio”) between aesthetic experience in the presence of the artwork and aesthetic experience in its absence, that is, in the presence of its reproductions or documentations. For instance, in an easily reproducible painting the difference between experiencing the real artwork or its reproduction could be considered relatively small, while the difference between real experience and reproduction would be high in a complex roomfilling installation. This ratio could depend on ontological, material, or practical reasons and could also depend on the technological means of reproduction and documentation. In conclusion, following Groys (2017), I will suggest that the application of different "strategies of irreproducibility” testifies the urge to escape the replicability of aesthetic experience and the desire to generate forms of uniqueness and exclusivity in the fruition of art, and could therefore be seen as one of the reasons why art today is strongly based on documentations, installations or performative events. You really need to make the real effort to queue up and attend them, no substitute would be otherwise possible

Thinking about complex mental states: language, symbolic activity and theories of mind

One of the most important contributions in Roland Posner’s work (1993) was the extension and development of the Gricean paradigm on meaning (1957) in a systematic framework, providing thus a general foundation of semiotic phenomena. According to this approach, communication consists in behaviors or artifacts based on reciprocal assumptions about the intentions and beliefs of the subjects involved in a semiotic exchange. Posner’s model develops with clarity the hierarchical relationships of semiotic phenomena of different complexity, from simple pre-communicative behaviors (like indicating or signaling) to full communicative acts. Not only limited to linguistic communication, this framework can be successfully extended in the description of all kind of sign production, from gestures to artifacts. This article discusses a key point of this paradigm, namely our faculty to at-tribute mental states to other individuals through the observation of their behavior, artifacts or texts. New insights from neuropsychology and developmental psychology are discussed in supporting the validity of this model of communication

Performativity and the domestic space Practices of embodied dwelling through enactivism, participation, and auto-construction

This paper examines the transformative potential of performativity in reimagining the concept of dwelling and of domestic spaces. Drawing from enactivist and embodied cognition perspectives, we delve into the dynamic relationship between individuals, their bodies, and the architectural environment. Emphasising the role of bodily engagement, sensorimotor experiences, and interoceptive awareness, we explore how individuals actively participate in and shape their architectural surroundings. Moving beyond individual interactions, we also highlight the social and collective dynamics influenced by the built environment, underscoring the impact of cultural conventions and societal norms. This paper investigates some contributions that advocate for a reappropriation of institutionalised domestic spaces through imaginative interventions that challenge conventional norms and envision future-oriented dwelling practices. Within the context of institutionalised domestic spaces, we investigate the role of the fantastical and the monstrous as disordered qualities that challenge traditional boundaries and offer opportunities for transformation. Through case studies, we examine projects that blur the lines between public and private realms, enabling participatory practices and urban influences to reshape functional space utilisation. In conclusion, this paper underscores the importance of a dialogue between embodied performativity and the concept of dwelling. It proposes a re-evaluation of our relationship with space that is not just functional but enactive, and it champions the transformative potential of the arts in conceiving our future homes. With a renewed focus on sustainability, participation, and the interplay between the human body and space, we can begin to imagine a future of dwelling that is as dynamic, inclusive, and vibrant as the lives we wish to live within these spaces.This paper examines the transformative potential of performativity in reimagining the concept of dwelling and of domestic spaces. Drawing from enactivist and embodied cognition perspectives, we delve into the dynamic relationship between individuals, their bodies, and the architectural environment. Emphasising the role of bodily engagement, sensorimotor experiences, and interoceptive awareness, we explore how individuals actively participate in and shape their architectural surroundings. Moving beyond individual interactions, we also highlight the social and collective dynamics influenced by the built environment, underscoring the impact of cultural conventions and societal norms. This paper investigates some contributions that advocate for a reappropriation of institutionalised domestic spaces through imaginative interventions that challenge conventional norms and envision future-oriented dwelling practices. Within the context of institutionalised domestic spaces, we investigate the role of the fantastical and the monstrous as disordered qualities that challenge traditional boundaries and offer opportunities for transformation. Through case studies, we examine projects that blur the lines between public and private realms, enabling participatory practices and urban influences to reshape functional space utilisation. In conclusion, this paper underscores the importance of a dialogue between embodied performativity and the concept of dwelling. It proposes a re-evaluation of our relationship with space that is not just functional but enactive, and it champions the transformative potential of the arts in conceiving our future homes. With a renewed focus on sustainability, participation, and the interplay between the human body and space, we can begin to imagine a future of dwelling that is as dynamic, inclusive, and vibrant as the lives we wish to live within these spaces

The anxieties of control and the aesthetics of failure

For many contemporary artists, failure has been an instrument of experimentation and self-expression, of investigation into existential questions and manifestation of utopian tensions. In this paper, I will discuss how some of the well-known strategies of experimental and avant-garde artistic practices with failure involve risky actions, challenging or impossible attempts, loss of control, and compulsive repetition of inconclusive acts. In those experimentations, the ideal model of an effective and successful action performance (in which a goal is defined through a clear intention, a plan and a well-controlled execution) is willfully sabotaged in its stages. In this regard, a distinction between failure and mistake will be highlighted: if failure could be traced back to the tradition of heroic or tragic defeat in front of adverse odds, mistake on the contrary means doing something wrong that one is expected to control. While failure negatively reflects our tension toward autonomy, the focus on mistakes is the expression of rigidity and heightened risk aversion in contexts where maximal efficiency and self-optimization are expected. This paper will argue that equating the category of failure with that of mistake is not faithful to the motives underlying those artistic traditions. In this respect, artistic experimentations in the “aesthetic of failure” can also be viewed as a critical response toward a general mindset defined by the anxiety of control and obsessive mistake avoidance that seems typical of our current times

AI-aesthetics and the artificial author

ABSTRACT. Consider this scenario: you discover that an artwork you greatly admire, or a captivating novel that deeply moved you, is in fact the product of artificial intelligence, not a human’s work. Would your aesthetic judgment shift? Would you perceive the work differently? If so, why? The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of art has sparked numerous philosophical questions related to the authorship and artistic intent behind AI-generated works. This paper explores the debate between viewing AI as a tool employed by human artists and perceiving AI as a new form of artistic expression with minimal human involvement. While we often seek a human mind behind certain artwork, we may still appreciate and engage with works that lack this element but have aesthetic value nonetheless. The paper also considers the traditional concept of “implied author”, suggesting that readers or artwork viewers might construct an authorial presence from the work itself, regardless of its actual origin. It will be finally suggested how AI-generated art might change our perceptions of human authorship itself

Imagens IA e mídias generativas: notas sobre a revolução em curso

O artigo discute a transição da criação de imagens manuais e a partir de lentes para o procedimento preditivo de IA generativa, em que os computadores geram novas mídias ao aprender com grandes conjuntos de dados e prevernovos artefatos. Esta mudança da representação para a previsão marca uma alteração significativa no modo como as imagens são produzidas, movendo-se para as “mídias preditivas”. O autor também investiga as características comuns entre os processos de criação humana e de IA, em que ambos aprendem com grandes quantidades de dados culturais para produzir novos artefatos. No entanto, a IA luta atualmente para gerar “átomos culturais” únicos ou raros, que são melhor compreendidos pelos criadores humanos. O artigo também coloca a IA generativa no contexto da arte moderna e da história da mídia. Os artefatos gerados por IA dependem de um grande arquivo de outros artefatos de mídia. Este mecanismo generativo liga os meios generativos a gêneros, métodos e movimentos artísticos anteriores, como a foto-colagem da década de 1920, a pop art da década de 1960 ou a net art da década de 1990.--------The article discusses the transition from manual and lens-based image creation to Generative AI's predictive procedure, where computers generate new media by learning from large datasets and predicting new artifacts. This shift from representation to prediction marks a significant change in how images are produced, moving towards 'predictive media.' The author also investigates the common features between human and AI creation processes, where both learn from vast amounts of cultural data to produce new artifacts. However, AI currently struggles with generating highly unique or rare 'cultural atoms,' which are better grasped by human creators. The article also places Generative AI in the context of modern art and media history. Artifacts generated by AI rely on a large archive of other media artifacts. This generative mechanism links generative media to earlier art genres, methods and movements such as photo-collage of the 1920s, pop art of the 1960s or net art of the 1990

Bezeichnenderweise Eco: Nachruf auf Umberto Eco (1932 – 2016)

Mit Umberto Eco hat die Semiotik einen der originellsten Zeichentheoretiker und zugleich einen Zeichen-setzenden Intellektuellen verloren. Dies ist mehr als eine Metapher: Ecos Analysen zeitgenössischer Kulturphänomene gingen so weit, dass er durch sie die betreffenden Kulturen veränderte. Er nahm als einer der ersten die Popkultur des späten zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts vom Krimi bis zum Comic unter die (semiotische) Lupe und wurde damit schließlich selbst zu einem Teil der Gegenwartskultur. Glaubt man gewissen Rankings, dann war Eco, der verschmitzte Analytiker der Massenkultur, gegen Ende seines Lebens ein weltweiter Popstar der Wissenschaft wie Chomsky oder Dawkins. Der Nachruf auf Umberto Eco stellt wichtige Entwicklungslinien der Semiotik Umberto Ecos vor und fokussiert dabei auf weniger bekannte Publikationen und Aktivitäten. Er enthält zudem die Erstveröffentlichung einer Karikatur, die Umberto Eco in den 1980er Jahren anfertigte und die im Archiv für Semiotik in Berlin (mittlerweile in Chemnitz) gefunden wurde. Sie lässt sich als Persiflage zeitgenössischer Kommunikationstheorien lesen.With Umberto Eco, semiotics has lost one of its most original thinkers, whose work sent a powerful signal to liberal intellectuals all around the world. Eco's analysis of contemporary cultural phenomena became very influential. He was one of the first academic scholars who took the pop culture of the late twentieth century seriously. From mystery novels to entertainment and comics: everything was put under his semiotic magnifying glass. Eco not only anaysed contemporary culture, but also influenced it with his combination of deep intellectuality and light-hearted wit. Towards the end of his life, the cunning analyst of mass culture became a worldwide pop star of science like Noam Chomsky or Richard Dawkins. This obituary for Umberto Eco recapitulates the development of his semiotics, with a focus on less well-known publications and activities. It also includes a previously unpublished cartoon drawn by Umberto Eco from the 1980s found in the Archive of Semiotics in Berlin (now in Chemnitz), which can be read as a humorous commentary on communication theories of the time