Shaping Digitized Stories
The Case of Newborns Living an Extended Second Life
The publication "Archives of the Body" was followed by a two days symposium, an exhibition, a film program with research material on the desiring and sexual body, and a comprehensive digital publication in collaboration with the HFBK's Digital Graphics class. It features texts and artwork by Edna Bonhomme, Serafima Bresler, Luzia Cruz, Saba Emadabadi, Ulrike Gerhardt, Elisa Tenca Giuliani, Laura Gómez, Vanessa Gravenor, Annika Haas, Ute Kalender, Liao Kai Ro, Hanne Loreck, Takeo Marquardt, Katrin Mayer, Zofia nierodzińska, Adina Pintilie, Bo Friedrich, Catalina González González, Morgana de Mello, Merle Morzé, Kristina Savutsina, Sarah Savalanpour, Kristina Savutsina (Крысціна Савуціна), Daniel Suárez, Vera Tollmann, Samo Tomšič.
"Shaping Digitized Stories" researches cryonics and digital archiving methodologies. As cryonics is an emergent field, which began its development in the 20th century, it is often regarded as a pseudoscience that uses modern technology to overcome the main natural human condition: death. Several non-profit organizations around the world have been conducting research in this field, but likewise, research also takes place in homemade cryo labs. The field of cryonics thus exists between scientific acceptance and scientific speculation. Regardless, cryogenic studies are expanding, and looking to life extension as an irresistible form of leisure. The text approaches this topic through the lens of science fiction. While it is based on facts, these facts have been abstracted and brought together with the speculative narrative of two newborns that will be living an extended life. As a result of past memories downloads, those will be grafted onto newborns. But still cryonics does itself suggest such processes will be possible. The end result is a fictional text, part of my artistic research on material preservation and deterioration, codified language, and progressive modes of western technological domination. Thus, the accompanied images consist of 3D renderings and speculative diagrams that are loosely inspired by data modeling graphs.