Speculative Futures - Joaquin Fargus

Exhibition at the Consulate General of Argentina
12 W 56th St · New York, NY - June 7, 6PM

ThoughtWorks Arts presents "Speculative Futures", an exhibition of projects made by Joaquin Fargas during his residency at Mars College in Bombay Beach, California.

"Will we be able to guarantee the survival of our own species?
Are we willing to delegate our future to an AI?"

Speculative Futures, the main installation, is composed by twelve solar robots that make a performance moving their heads with smooth movements to worship the sun.

In the not so distant future, this legion of robots were sent to every corner of the Universe, carrying frozen human embryos to raise new civilizations.
BioBot is a kind of creature that looks for a place where life can be possible. It is a mobile entity that allows the scanning of polluted lakes/rivers looking for possible life forms and the state they are in.With this concept, the aim is to encourage scientists to think differently about our environments and the different possibilities to treat them.

Planet B is a sculptural representation of the Earth's drought composed using "cracked earth" pieces collected from the nearby desert, thin set mortar mix, wire mesh and a round plastic base.

Adopt the world program (The biosphere project) Spheres, completely sealed, contain a natural and complex ecosystem. They are shown as a metaphor of the planet on an infinitesimal scale. These spheres are made of glass, polycarbonate or Plexiglas and are placed on stands of different designs and height made of stainless steel, iron, aluminum, or just hanging from the ceiling. Interactive modules include documentary information about different ecosystems and about the living forms inside the biospheres. The interaction between the art craft and the environment is relevant. The life on the biospheres depend on the location in which they are placed, variables like temperature and the amount of light are critical for them to survive.

BIO
Argentinian-Spanish Artist-engineer. Joaquín Fargas integrates the artistic, scientific and technological fields in his work. Through science, he communicates the concepts and theories in a playful and poetical manner. Through art, he teaches how to grasp the properties of nature and become aware of its care.

His production is centered on possible or utopian proposals related to life, its preservation and the interrelationship between living beings and the future. In his work, he integrates biological materials and technological media aimed at breaking down barriers and generating possible dialogues and hybrid ecologies.

From the beginning of the 2000s, he has been incorporating digital and communication technologies as well as robotics into his artistic practice.
In 2005 he started using biotechnology in his works and in 2008 founded the BioArtLab atMaimonides University in Buenos Aires, now hosted as Latin American BioArt Lab by UAI(Universidad Abierta Interamericana), where he is professor of Art and Technology working for the combination of Bio & AI.

Between 2010 and 2013 was the Executive Director of the Network for the Popularization ofScience and Technology from UNESCO (RedPop).
For the last 20 years he has been working at the crossroads of art, science and technology ,developing a profuse activity entailing execution of works, ‘site specific’ installations ,performances and academic conferences in all the continents, including Antarctica.

Exhibition at the Consulate General of Argentina
in New York.
12 W 56th St · New York, NY
Opening June 7th, 6pm

@joaquin_fargas
@joaquinfargas
www.joaquinfargas.com