In 2023, generative models such as ChatGPT and DALL-E brought about a true revolution in image generation . Only a year later they were already outmatched by Sora and Runway (video) and Udio (music).
These groundbreaking tools proved capable of creating coherent texts, generating visual images and even video and music based on purely textual cues. This leads to new and interesting questions. One of these is whether the new Einstein, Picasso, or Bach will be a computer. In other words, can a computer become creative and experience a moment of inspiration? Or will it be ‘intelligent’ enough to become a proper discussion partner and present us with other dimensions of intelligence? There are already many examples of artists who gratefully use AI tools and some of the results are stunning..
During this symposium we delve deeper into the complex relationship between the brain, creativity and language. Together with neuroscientists, artists and philosophers, we analyze the concept of creativity and investigate the concepts of between natural and artificial intelligence and other ‘intelligence’.
PROGRAM
10:00 – 10:15 : Welcome by Christophe De Jaeger (Director Gluon)
GLUON is Brussels based organization for art, science and technology. Supporting artists, technologists, citizens, companies to reflect on global challenges.
10:15 – 10:30 : Introducing S+T+ARTS by Peter Friess (DG Connect)
S+T+ARTS(Science, Technology, and the Arts) is a European Commission innovation initiative launched 10 years. It aims to foster collaborations between artists, scientists, engineers, and researchers, encouraging interdisciplinary projects that merge creative and scientific approaches. By integrating the arts with cutting-edge technology and scientific research, STARTS seeks to inspire innovative solutions to complex societal challenges, promote sustainable development, and enhance Europe’s leadership in research and cultural innovation.
10:30 – 11:30: The Future Human in the Age of AI : Re-thinking super-technology, trans-humanism, and post-truth — Keynote by Prof. Alex Gomez Marin
The rapid technological advancements we are witnessing are often driven by the naive belief that more is always better. While transhumanists champion human enhancement through technology, there is a danger of losing our humanity and making ourselves obsolete. The imitation of human consciousness by machines raises concerns about the authenticity of this mimicry. In this lecture Prof. Gomez Marin will discuss areae’s where imitation betrays falsification such as humans as machines, brains as computers, science as religion, and gender as sex. These affect all sectors of society, from artists to politicians.
11:30 – 12:30 Reclaiming Our Agency – Keynote by David Claerbout (artist)
In this keynote, David Claerbout will present the findings of his research on the influence of generative AI on his artistic practice. This research was conducted as part of a residency with Gluon, supported by Proximus Ada and the European S+T+ARTS fund. It builds upon his earlier work, which introduced the concept of “Dark Optics”—a framework exploring the fragile trust we place in images. This concept highlights the potential crises that arise when confidence in photographic images erodes, revealing profound impacts on perception, cognition, and the political, social, and mental challenges that follow.
13:00 – 13:30 Short historical overview on the impact of digital technologies on ‘image makers’ by Hans Bart Van Impe (Proximus Collection coordinator)
The Proximus Art Collection is a non profit organization with the aim to collect contemporary art as inspiration for the Proximus employees and visitors to the Proximus offices. A special focus went towards contemporary art photography. Since Hilla and Bernd Becher defined their photography more as a concept, photography as a medium to create conceptual art emerged. The collection covers photography from the Dusseldorfer school, American photography and time capsule photography. The transition from analogue photography towards digital photography created new opportunities, but missed a key uniqueness: a physical medium, an image carrier. The acceptance of not having this carrier in digital photography could also be its biggest threat with the upcoming AI image generation. Why do we still need to have a camera? Where photography had a huge impact on romantic portrait painter end 19th century, the digital revolution embraced by photography could be it’s pitfall due to AI.
13:30 – 14:30 The Falling City by Noemi Iglesias, Kenniscentrum Data & Maatschappij & Liga voor Mensenrechten
Noemi Iglesias is a Spanish artist working with sculptural media and long-durational performative formats. She will discuss her latest project that was initiated by Gluon and media artist Noemi Iglesias, together with Radix, the Liga for Human Rights and Knowledge Centre Data and Society (KDM). The project questions the desirability and value of surveillance systems in the city of Brussels creating an artistic A.I. surveillance system that does just the opposite of what these systems are made for; namely, detecting affective relationships between people on the streets of Brussels.
14:30: Expo visit “Safe Zone – Christopher Kulendran Thomas” with Helena Kritis (head curator Wiels)
Christopher Kulendran Thomas has been using Artificial Intelligence technologies over the last decade to make genre-defying work that examines the foundational fictions of Western individualism. His paintings metabolise the colonial art history that came to dominate in Sri Lanka after his family, who are Tamil, left escalating ethnic violence there. Often these are shown with immersive video installations that remix propaganda and counter-propaganda into a cyclonic vortex of speculative scenarios. Safe Zone combines painting with auto-edited television footage to confront the historical mediums of soft power.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Date & time: 19 November, 10 am — 14:30 pm
Language: English
Tickets: Free entry, but registration required due to limited capacity
Venue: Wiels I Avenue Van Volxemlaan 354, Vorst
WIELS can easily be reached by public transportation. A parking is available for bikes, cars and buses at the back of the building.
Trams: 82 – 97, “Wiels” stop
Bus: 50 – 49, “Wiels” stop
Train: Brussels Midi (walk of 20 minutes to WIELS)
Car: Ring, Exit 17 “Anderlecht Industrie”, follow “Centre – Albert ”
Villo! bike station accros the road (Station nr. 223)
WIELS is located in a Poppy zone
Accessibility: accessible for people with reduced mobility
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Christophe De Jaeger
Christophe De Jaeger (b. 1979) is an art historian and curator with a specialization in contemporary art and collaborative practices bridging art and research. In 2009, he founded Gluon, an elementary force uniting artists and researchers to cultivate artistic endeavors exploring science and technology. Gluon facilitates artist residencies within corporations and research institutions. The nexus between Brussels, a cosmopolitan hub, and Europe is integral to his work, as is his emphasis on engaging the youthful and diverse young generations of this vibrant city.
Peter Friess
Peter Friess is Senior Programme Officer for innovation in Social Media and the STARTS (Science, Technology, Arts) initiative at the Directorate General Connect of the European Commission in Brussels. He holds an engineering degree in space technology and a Ph.D. in social self-organising systems.
Alex Gomez-Marin
Dr Alex Gomez-Marin (b. 1981) is a Spanish theoretical physicist turned neuroscientist. He was a research fellow at the EMBL Center for Genomic Regulation and at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Lisbon. He is currently the head of the Behavior of Organisms Laboratory at the Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, as an Associate Professor of the Spanish Research Council. He is also the director of The Pari Center in Italy.
David Claerbout
David Claerbout (b. 1969) is an internationally acclaimed artist working in the realm of new media art. Having created his first videos in the mid-1990s, his artistic practice has transitioned since the early 2000s into synthetic image-making situated at the intersection of photography, film, and digital art. Claerbout has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions internationally, including: Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (2005); Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (2007); Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, Switzerland (2008); De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Tilburg, The Netherlands (2009) and (2016); SFMOMA, San Francisco; WIELS, Brussels, Belgium (2011); Secession, Vienna, Austria; Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel; Parasol Unit, London (2012); Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam (2014); Marabouparken Konsthall, Sundbybert, Sweden (2015); KINDL, Berlin (2016); Städel Museum, Frankfurt (2016); MNAC, Barcelona (2017); Schaulager, Basel (2017); Kunsthaus Bregenz (2018); Kunst Museum Winterthur (2020); and Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague (2020), Taipei Fine Arts Museum (2023).
Noemi Igleasias Barrios
Noemi Iglesias (b. 1987) is a Spanish artist working with sculptural media and long-durational performative formats. She is a clear example of contemporary nomadism: since 2009 the artist has lived and worked in Greece, England, Finland, Italy, Hungary, China and Korea. In 2019 she finished her Master Degree at the Tainan National University of the Arts, where she researched on contemporary ceramic practices for the last 3 years thanks to the Taiwan ROC Scholarship from the Taiwanese government.
Helena Kritis
Helena Kritis (b. 1981) is the chief curator at WIELS Centre for Contemporary Art in Brussels. Her interest lies mainly with time-based and performative practices, and she has worked with Mounira Al Solh, Nora Turato, Wu Tsang & Boychild, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Pauline Boudry & Renate Lorenz, Christian Nyampeta, Ed Atkins, etc. At WIELS, she curated solo exhibitions of Christopher Kulendran Thomas (2024), Oscar Murillo (2024), Danai Anesiadou (2023), Shezad Dawood (2023) and Lucy Raven (2022). She has (co)commissioned new performative projects by Alexis Blake (2024), Billy Bultheel and James Richards (2023), Nikima Jagudajev (2023) and Moya Michael (2024), and is currently preparing a survey exhibition of Lutz Bacher in collaboration with Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo.
