International Symposium

Matter(s) in Motion

Art, Self-Organized Matter, Material Agency, and Proto-Aliens

Art, Self-Organized Matter, Material Agency,
and Proto-Aliens

2019.6.7Fri.  Tama Art University, Hachioji Campus
Free Admission / 

2019.6.7Fri.   Tama Art University, Hachioji-Campus

Free Admission / English-Japanese

Matter(s) in Motion

Matter(s) in Motion brings together figures from the fields of art, philosophy, chemistry and astrobiology to discuss the active behavior of matter and reflect upon intermediate states between the living and the non-living; self-organization, agency and material performance; and the likelihood of discovering active matter and alien life beyond the earth.

Novel techno-scientific advances in chemistry, synthetic biology, astrobiology, material science and nanotechnology are opening up radically new perspectives by allowing the creation of soft, active, and intelligent systems with life-like behaviors. Some of these systems are capable of autonomous movement, growth, self-division, reproduction, self-repair and even adaptation. The current design and development of nanomachines, genetic networks, microswimmers, wetbots, and protocell models all yield a glimpse of these advances and latest technologies. At the same time, contemporary artists are beginning to exploit material principles and design methods based on self-assembly, molecular interactions, and physicochemical processes, shifting from inanimate to autonomous soft/wet systems. These artworks compel us to reflect upon the boundary that separates the living from the non-living, to reimagine the built and the grown, and to consider what life might look like on other planets. Overall, the issue at stake is not whether these soft/wet systems are alive, but whether they are more or less living, and what makes them so.

Matter(s) in Motion will examine the self-organizing ability, morphogenetic tendencies, and active behavior of matter as well as the ways in which these processes and capabilities are manifest in the work of contemporary artists. The symposium will include three sessions of talks and a panel discussion on art and how it relates to intermediate states between the living and non-living, material agency, and alien biochemistry.

Matter(s) in Motion is hosted by the Department of Information Design at Tama Art University (Hachioji Campus). The symposium is supported by Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences and is made possible with support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP18K00203). Symposium language: English / Japanese.

Planning:Juan M. Castro and Akihiro Kubota
Organized by:The Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS) and Tama Art University
In collaboration with::The Art & Media Course, Department of Information Design - Tama Art University; The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences - The University of Tokyo, and The Research Center for Industrial Culture, IAMAS

Program

[ 2019.6.7 Fri. ]

09:30

Registration

09:50

Welcome and Opening Remarks

10:00

Session 1: Intermediate States between
the Living and the Non-Living

Session 1: Intermediate States between
the Living and the Non-Living

"Art in the Age of Technoscience:
Speculating about the Limits of Life"

"Art in the Age of Technoscience:
Speculating about the Limits of Life"

Ingeborg Reichle
(University of Applied Arts Vienna)

Ingeborg Reichle
(University of Applied Arts Vienna)

10:40

"The Search for Terrestrial Life and The Origin of Life in Space"

Akihiko Yamagishi
(Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences)

11:20

Session 2: Material Agency

Session 2: Material Agency

"Art, Agency, and Animation in Times of Wetware"

Jens Hauser
(University of Copenhagen)

12:00

Lunch

13:00

Afternoon Greetings

13:05

"Soft Microstructures Swimming in the Water"

Taro Toyota
(The University of Tokyo)

13:45

Session 3: Art and Alien Biochemistry

Session 3: Art and Alien Biochemistry

"Exploring Habitable Environments in the Solar System"

"Exploring Habitable Environments
in the Solar System"

Yasuhito Sekine
(The Earth-Life Science Institute of Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Yasuhito Sekine
(The Earth-Life Science Institute of Tokyo Institute of Technology)

14:25

"Synthetic Proto-Alien"

Akihiro Kubota(Tama Art University)

14:40

“On the Self-Assembly, Material Performance and Agency
of Extraterrestrial Matter

“On the Self-Assembly, Material Performance and Agency of Extraterrestrial Matter

Juan M. Castro
(Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences)

Juan M. Castro
(Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences)

15:00

Coffee and Tea Break

15:20

Speakers at the Anatomical Theatre

Panel Discussion

"Art, Self-Organized Matter, Material Agency, and Proto-Aliens"

"Art, Self-Organized Matter, Material Agency, and Proto-Aliens"

Panel

  • Akihiko Yamagishi, Ingeborg Reichle,
  • Akihiro Kubota, Yasuhito Sekine,
  • Jens Hauser, Taro Toyota,
  • and Juan M. Castro
  • Akihiko Yamagishi,
  • Ingeborg Reichle,
  • Akihiro Kubota,
  • Yasuhito Sekine,
  • Jens Hauser,
  • Taro Toyota,
  • and Juan M. Castro

16:20

Q & A

16:50

Closing Remarks

17:00

End

Speakers

    Ingeborg Reiche
  • Ingeborg Reichle
  • Professor, University of Applied Arts Vienna
    Akihiko Yamagishi
  • Akihiko Yamagishi
  • Professor, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences
    Yasuhito Yamane
  • Yasuhito Sekine
  • Professor, The Earth-Life Science Institute of Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • Professor, The Earth-Life Science Institute of Tokyo Institute of Technology
    Jens Hauser
  • Jens Hauser
  • Researcher, University of Copenhagen
    Taro Toyota
  • Taro Toyota
  • Associate Professor, The University of Tokyo
    Akihiro Kubota
  • Akihiro Kubota
  • Professor, Tama Art University
    Ingeborg Reiche
  • Juan M. Castro
  • Associate Professor, Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences

Registration

The symposium is free and open to the public, but seats are limited and registration is encouraged.
To register, please visit the link below.

Venue

Lecture Hall C - Tama Art University, Hachioji Campus

2-1723 Yarimizu Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0394

From Narita International Airport
- Take the Skyliner train bound for Keisei-Ueno and get off at Nippori (40 min.)
- Transfer at Nippori to JR Yamanote Line bound for Ikebukuro and get off at Shinjuku (21 min).
- Transfer at Shinjuku to Keio Line bound for Hashimoto (Limited Express) and get off at Hashimoto (36 min.)
- Take a bus for "Tama Art University (Tama Bijutsu Daigaku)" from bus stop No. 6 at Hashimoto Station North Exit (8 min.)