>prompt: Firefly kapitan nemo; world; ocean 86356
words by Anna Ochmann
Do you know what is it the NEMO POINT?
It is the common name of the oceanic pole of inaccessibility (48°52.5′S 123°23.6′W). It is the geographical place on the ocean, which is the farthest possible point from any land. It lies in the South Pacific Ocean, and it is known as “the Nemo Point” with reference to Jules Verne’s main character, Captain Nemo.
For me NEMO POINT could be a figurative construct symbolises the place to which we are trying to navigate during discussions about the challenges of the future. This also includes challenges related to modern education or AI. We are navigating further and further away from familiar and solid “land” and also from proven solutions worked out before the coronavirus pandemic, economic crisis or climate crisis. We are diving deeper and deeper into the world of liquid modernity with its ballast of fragmentary and episodic nature.
VUCA – the acronym which describes this reality, was created almost 40 years ago (in 1987), and it seems to be more accurate and up-to-date every day. Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity are becoming more and more common feelings, which are probably overwhelming all of us nowadays. At the same time, we need, like never before, long-term planning, out-of-the-box thinking, courageous political decisions, that are made collectively and not by privileged decision-makers hidden in their offices. We need decisions which on one hand take human needs into account, but which are also made according to ethical principles, particularly in the face of technological developments and the limited natural resources of the planet.
We need to discuss these topics very quickly, as they are associated with the dynamic development of new technologies and with incredible progress in fields such as biotechnology.
These ethical dilemmas are the result of reflection on a hybrid universe in which humans, time and information blend together into one endless digital cyberspace. These considerations are necessary to form the basis for shaping new public policies, which include those facing education today.
Culture and art in the world of uncertainty and contingency set a specific NEMO POINT before us by deconstructing of the meanings of these notions over and over again and by arriving at diverse interpretations. However, art is very often a kind of litmus test. It also often becomes a commentary on economic and social conditions, and – especially recently – on climate change. Technology, in turn, is increasingly becoming one of the forms of artistic expression or a creative tool for artists.
Artists are experimenting more and more boldly with artificial intelligence (AI), virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR). More and more often they are using other elements such as those from biological sciences, biotechnology or ecology. [1] They experiment with generative arts, bioart, 3d mapping, and brainwave controlled works. [2] Creators of the trend indicate dematerialism as one of the trends of the future in art. This is the idea that it is an impression or a feeling that becomes art, not a material object.
“Postdigital art” is another important term, which has appeared more and more in recent years. Mel Alexenberg in “The Future of Art in a Postdigital Age” [3] defines this concept as art which refers to the humanization of digital technology. This means the interaction between digital, biological, cultural and spiritual systems and the interaction between real space and cyberspace or virtual space; between advanced technologies and the involvement of personal attention (“high touch experience”), and also the interaction between local and globalization, between self-reflection, personal experience and broad cultural, political, social meanings and narratives. The postdigital concept opens discussion on the nature of participation, interaction and cooperation and the role of the artist. The term “postdigital” seems to best describe the reality in which we find ourselves today – not only in the world of art. Nowadays this is becoming a word that aptly defines the complexity of our present relationship with technology. [4]
In recent years artists have created a number of interesting works on the topic of the challenges posed by the digitization of the present world, or on their vision of the future. Interesting examples can be found in the project: “What Will Art Look Like in 100 Years? Sixteen Contemporary Artists Predict the Future ”[5] or at the exhibition by Paweł Janicki titled “Point Nemo” (!) and organized in the second half of 2020 at the WRO ART Center. [6]
And maybe it is the intuition of artists that may help us to navigate towards the unknown pole of inaccessibility – the NEMO POINT.
[1] An interesting example of an artistic commentary on an environment which has been irretrievably changed by industry and the policy of economic development is the “classic” art work by Diana Lelonek “Center for the living things” 2016
http://wro2017.wrocenter.pl/en/works/instytutdlazywychrzeczy
[2] ‘Crystal Universe / FUTURE WORLD: WHERE ART MEETS SCIENCE’ Singapore 2016 – Permanent ArtScience Museum https://youtu.be/HYrKVUYNO9U and https://www.teamlab.art/e/artsciencemuseum
[3] Alexenberg, Mel, (2011), The Future of Art in a Postdigital Age: From Hellenistic to Hebraic Consciousness. Bristol and Chicago: Intellect Books/University of Chicago Press; ISBN 978-1-84150-377-6.
[5] “What Will Art Look Like in 100 Years? Sixteen Contemporary Artists Predict the Future” http://momus.ca/what-will-art-look-like-in-100-years-sixteen-contemporary-artists-predict-the-future
[6] Paweł Janicki “Point Nemo” exhibition trailer, WRO Art Center https://vimeo.com/443056141
