Technology and the Making of History

Taste meaning “Transforming through art, science and technology” is a new platform initiated by the University of Luxembourg. The first talk of the TASTE series: “On art, nature and technology” brings together scholars, artists, and stakeholders from the creative sector to discuss how the recent technological developments have informed their interdisciplinary practices, while critically unpacking the myth of “artificial new”.

Dr. Gerben Zaagsma – Ass. Professor C2DH – University of Luxembourg
Nonhuman Nonsense – Art and design collective
Christl Baur – Head of Ars Electronica Festival / S+T+Arts
Moderator: Nathalie Kerschen – PhD
In recent years, the rapid advent of generative AI has undoubtedly changed how we work, create, and research. Prompt- based commands, instead of code, produce new content with just a few clicks. This has significantly shortened and simplified complex processes in both arts and sciences. The growing number of funding instruments, programs and private-public partnerships, which invite researchers, scientists and artists to collaborate across fields using AI, illustrates its integration into existing academics and artistic frameworks.

These tools and techniques, however, are not new per se, but can be traced conceptually to the postwar era. Neither are the entanglements between scientific thinking, computation, and design a recent trend. Since the 1960s, theorists, such as Herbert A. Simon highlighted the potential of collaborative workflows between designers and scientist when computers are used for problem-solving. Conversely, institutions, such as Ars Electronica or MIT’s Medial Lab, have exemplified how artistic research has driven technological innovation since the 1980s.