Organoid Intelligence is a collaboration between Gluon and the Bioengineering and Morphogenesis lab at KU Leuven. During an artistic research project, we are working with artists Guillaume Slizewicz, Antye Guenther and Alice Jarry to explore other questions about intelligence and consciousness through the lens of the emerging field of Organoid Computing. In this domain, organoids – miniature versions of organs grown from stem cells – are used for computational purposes. Organoids can form complex, three-dimensional tissues that mimic the functions of real organs.
The base for this collaboration is the Bioengineering and Morphogenesis lab at KU Leuven, led by Prof. Adrian Ranga. The three artists will be introduced to 3D human brain cell cultures, better known as brainoids. These living, not-yet-human agents take us back to the biological roots of consciousness and intelligence. In this lab, intelligence is approached from a material, organic — or “embodied” — perspective, which contrasts sharply with the way intelligence is usually conceived in the digital world. This approach also raises sharp ethical questions, such as the use of human stem cells and the care that researchers take of these organisms.
Through collective prototyping, the researchers and the three artists are exploring various aspects of in vitro cognition together. Observing the development and growth of organoids is an extremely intriguing experience, evoking profound philosophical reflections that go far beyond the world of pure scientific research. The lab provides a range of experimental tools for this purpose: cell culture facilities for brainoids, microfluidics and actuation equipment to control their shape and growth, and techniques to record their activity, such as optical microscopy and electrical measurement systems.
About the artists
Guillaume Slizewicz (FR)
Guillaume Slizewicz is a designer and digital artist whose work lies at the intersection of technology, the environment and social issues. He often combines physical materials – metal, wood and clay – with digital processes such as algorithms, AI and computer-aided manufacturing. His works, which are often developed within collectives and in collaboration with other designers, establish connections between ancient craft practices and contemporary digital tools.
Antye Guenther (DE)
Antye Guenther is a visual artist and artist-researcher. Drawing on her background in medicine, photography and the military, and strongly influenced by feminist science fiction, her artistic practice revolves around themes such as (non-)biological intelligence and supercomputers, scientific representations of cognitive processes and mind control, body perception in techno-capitalist societies and science fiction. Her work therefore takes on hybrid forms: performances, performative ceramic objects, fictional video tutorials, photo-text works, speculative scripts, artist publications and narrative installations.
Alice Jarry (CA)
Alice Jarry is an artist, researcher and lecturer specialising in site-specific responsive works, socio-ecological design, digital art and tactile media. Her research critically examines sustainability, aesthetics and politics in relation to materiality, material production and contemporary issues concerning urban communities and infrastructures. In her installations, she explores how materiality can lead to the emergence of dynamic, adaptive forms and resilient socio-ecological relationships.
