Embodied Emotion

'I am trying to create pieces that invite inquiry into how we are being transformed by the swarm of intelligent algorithms that watch and drive our behaviours,’ says composer and transmedia artist Gadi Sassoon.

Embodied Emotion was first presented in July at the opening ceremony of the first United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance. Now it is coming to London; ably curated by Alisa Lisobkskaia, art'otel London Hoxton will play host to this, Sassoon’s first solo exhibition in the UK. Three connected installations will combine kinetic sculpture, room-scale projection, sound and interactive media. ‘For the last twenty-odd years I have been exploring organic human expression, electro-mechanical devices, the amplification of human gesture and digital systems that have revolutionised sonic crafting. That strange borderland between art, engineering and computer science has been the leitmotif of my career,’ he explains.

Sassoon’s work sets out to examine human agency in the age of AI. ‘I am trying to investigate and stimulate consideration of this: how do we remain sovereign over our own minds, bodies and feelings in a world where machines can simulate thinking, empathy, emotion and increasingly gain access to the physical world? And can we develop new vocabularies for algorithms and robotics that allow us to choose the boundaries we want?’

Embodied Emotion is the artist’s response to these questions, a cycle of works spanning music, visuals, performance and interactive media. These involve modular 3d-printed robotics created in collaboration with roboticist Rob Knight and a biomaterial control surface made in collaboration with creative technologist Tom Fox. ‘I'd like to suggest an active approach that might keep us freer in mind and body. I hope people will touch things and move through this hybrid space enough to walk away considering how they might like to draw their own boundaries.’

At the heart of the show, Machine Amplification addresses what it might mean to reclaim artificial intelligence. ‘It is the opposite of machine extraction and control, the corporate default, where the system harvests the gesture and, instead of propagating it, manipulates the user.’ Instead, Sassoon has created performance systems that analyse improvisation in real time, then interpret these gestures. Three works run on 555n, a system Sassoon has developed over a decade. ‘This allows me to scale up ideas extremely quickly,’ he explains.

On 12 September, there will also be a live performance on the 24^th floor of art'otel in the panorama space. For the artist, this serves two purposes: ‘I want to show the origin of the process, and to perform the sonic part of the installation live, stripped of all visual and sculptural elements. A baby grand, guitar, violin, drums, my Buchla and the 555n Construct as amplification: just sound and a view of London town,’ he says.

Sassoon is happy to be back in London. ‘I cut my teeth on the dubstep and beats scene of the early 2000s. It's the city that most influenced me personally, and I think it remains populated by some of the most no-nonsense artists, tinkerers and creatives out there, as well as the most culturally diverse scene in every sense of the word.’  Aware that the topics this show raises could be seen as divisive, he trusts London to keep an open mind. ‘It's easy to fall into either the enthusiast or sceptic camps: I think in London people are open to the challenges I am trying to raise, but they won’t give me a free pass,’ he says.

Words by Tamsin Kingswell