“Gapševičius reminds us in Machine as a Companion that when we talk about ecology and the environment, we need to take the machinic into consideration and that the machinic includes computation which is fundamental to the contemporary live world. While we often address the machinic as the adversary, Gapševičius explores the machine as a possible mediator and interface between the human and nonhuman world. With this, he highlights that the convergence of the environment and technology needs to be thought of in more ways than as a tale of domination, loss and destruction.” — Erich Berger, Mari Keski-Korsu, Marietta Radomska, Line Thastum
For several years I have been participating in the State Of The Art Network (SOTAN), a Nordic-Baltic transdisciplinary network of artists, practitioners, researchers and organizations that have come together to discuss the role, responsibility and potential of art and culture in the Anthropocene. Recently, the Bioart Society published a book entitled “State Of The Art – Elements For Critical Thinking And Doing“, which summarizes developments, reflections and thoughts from the activities of recent years. I was delighted to contribute to this book with an article entitled “Machine as a Companion”. For the article, see pages 157-171