Between Dream and Technology. An Anthropological-Historical View on ›Machinic Imagination‹
In the context of generative AI, the concept of »dreaming machines« is frequently brought up. To convey AI's hard-to-grasp functionalities, the dream serves as an equally accessible and mystifying metaphor. Since the onset of modernity, dreams and technology have been used as explanatory models for each other, reflecting their inherent indeterminacy in each other's image. Furthermore, both dreams and technology mirror the anthropological indeterminacy inherent in humans, which constantly demands interpretation. The idea of understanding dreams and imagination as machinic processes of some kind has often been utilized in art, culture, and theoretical discourse as a means of emancipation and subversion, while also being continuously co-opted and nurtured by the forces of capitalist technological expansion. The genealogy of this »machinic imagination«, stemming from the tensions between dream and technology, is the focus of this project, which examines how to think with, despite, and to the limits of the machine today.
Peter Kortmann is a visual artist who studied at the Berlin University of the Arts. A recurring theme in his work is the influence of technical media on the conditions of art production, which he addresses through the use of classical media. In his performances, he mechanized the act of drawing, while his drawings and objects reflect upon interactions with digital machines. In 2019, he first generated images using »Machine Learning« algorithms, engaging with both their theoretical foundations and the societal consequences of their use. This intensified his interest in anthropological and historical questions regarding the connections between technology, art, and politics, which led to his scientific research in this field. Since 2022, he has been a PhD candidate in Art Theory at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, supervised by Helmut Draxler.