理論熱:藝術、技術、流行文化 | ARTFORUM中文網 * 泰康空間

4月27日，ARTFORUM中文網將與泰康空間共同推出一場為期一天的討論，分為上下午兩部分，從大家最熟悉的劉慈欣和中國科幻說起，探討最近幾年技術「理論熱」與現下藝術創作和策展實踐之間的關係。為此，除了每場的主題演講嘉賓之外，我們還邀請了年輕新銳學者和近期活躍在相關理論領域的策展人，他們將從各自的工作經驗出發，圍繞「藝術、技術、流行文化」展開深度對話。

2011-2012年，中國藝術界出現過一次「理論熱」[1]，當時「席捲」整個藝術圈的話題人物還是ABRZ（阿甘本、巴迪歐、朗西埃和齊澤克），線上爭論的平臺還是微博和論壇。六七年間，微信取代微博成為社交媒體霸主，另一波理論熱潮也已經衝擊到岸，這一次，技術成為主角。進入二十一世紀以來，迅速變化的技術現實及其在全球範圍產生的影響催生了對（西方）現代性的新一輪反思。人類紀、新實在論、後人類、後自然、加速主義……無論這些名詞在其各自哲學理論領域具體指代和政治目標為何，在越來越短的翻譯時差下，它們開始頻繁被國內藝術家、策展人、藝評人引用和談論。然而，這其中必經的轉換我們不能忽視：在典型的「西方衝擊」下被捲入現代化進程的中國經過整個二十世紀的動蕩，如今變成新自由主義全球資本市場上的重要參與者——面對如此現實，上述有關技術的思辨對於今天的藝術創作究竟意味著什麼？是只需在精神上跟隨的話語潮流，還是新的題材庫和方法論，或是具有啟發意義的提示線索？如果全球化時代的危機要求全球化的應對方案，「人類紀」、「前先祖」等等在空間和時間上都堪稱行星規模的宏大視角是否真的能夠幫助我們打開一條走出現代性種種困局的道路？技術何以構成新的鬥爭場域，或者為我們提供重新書寫世界歷史的突破口？

 

如果是標準的時光機故事，重寫歷史就等於改變未來。而在專門負責描寫未來圖景的領域裡，2015年，中國科幻作家劉慈欣憑藉《三體》獲得「雨果獎」最佳長篇故事獎，一時間，科幻小說從類型文學突然變成了主流討論熱點。去年年底，根據劉慈欣同名小說改編的國產科幻大片《流浪地球》累計票房超過40億人民幣，成為現象級神作的同時，也在網上引發了蔚為壯觀的爭論。故事裡是星辰大海、浩瀚宇宙，嚴肅評論卻多在談冷戰、文革、第三世界、（中國）歷史經驗，網絡爭吵則是「戰狼」、「工業黨」、「小粉紅」等現實標籤之間的競爭。劉慈欣作品顯然已經超出科幻固有領域，成為某種流行文化現象，自然而然也出現了不少針對該現象的「意識形態批判」。但除了將其作為文化批評對象以外，我們是否還能從劉慈欣現象中發現其他思考資源？畢竟，一直以來，當代藝術從流行文化中汲取的營養與它從前衛理論中得到的一樣多。

 

[1]《藝術界》雜誌，「理論熱」專題，2012年4月號.

全天日程

2019年4月27日

上午場：11:00-12:30

11：00

主題演講：人工智慧時代的藝術作品

演講人：李廣益

 

瓦爾特·本雅明曾在《機械複製時代的藝術作品》一文中認為，機械複製技術的應用消解了古典藝術的距離感和唯一性，導致了「靈暈」（aura）的消失。當我們進入人工智慧時代，「深度學習」的機械複製所帶來的，是「靈暈」的徹底消失，還是一種全新的矽基或碳矽二元的「靈暈」？在當代中國的科幻小說中，我們或許能窺見藝術的未來。

 

李廣益，加州大學洛杉磯分校文學博士，重慶大學人文社會科學高等研究院副教授。研究方向主要包括中國現當代文學、中國思想史、科幻文學與文化、烏託邦文學與思想，編著《中國科幻文學再出發》（2016）、《<三體>的X種讀法》（2017），譯著《烏託邦之概念》（2018）。

11:50

實驗室作為驚奇發生器

發言人：魏穎

 

實驗室是現代科技的重要產物之一，這一空間被視為充滿未知的黑匣子。布魯諾·拉圖爾在《實驗室生活》中試圖用人類學的方法研究實驗室的建構，此書也成為科技與社會研究（STS）的奠基作之一。實驗室是否只是簡單地將自然置於其中進行祛魅，導致神秘學等領域大幅消褪，成為人文藝術等創造性領域的對立者？事實並不如此簡單。講者的研究項目——「實驗室作為驚奇發生器」，試圖闡釋實驗室與藝術人文的一種新型關係。該項目不僅指涉現代實驗室，也將從早期科學史/藝術史中回溯「實驗室」的定義。首期研究將調查全球設有藝術駐地項目的著名實驗室，來敘述藝術史的另一種可能性視角，以及從由此衍生的諸多話題，例如藝術家與科學家的合作模式、「大科學」 背景下的政策制定、科學在流行文化中的位置等。

 

魏穎是一位策展人、研究者。現為中央美術學院科技藝術研究員, 也是「泛生物藝術工作室」 （PBS）的創始人。她近期的研究及興趣方向包括：生物藝術、後人類語境下的科技藝術、科技與社會研究（STS）、科學史與藝術的融合等。

12:10

海洋，作為影像與網絡

發言人：楊北辰

海洋是一種媒介。其將隔絕的大陸連接起來，並經由架設在表層或深層的不同通道傳遞著物質、能量及信息，這些通道構建的網絡如今已是全球尺度不可分割的一部分。海平面上的航路，深海的石油管道與光纜，以及遍布的鑽井平臺，這些人造物與各類海洋中原有的物質\生命形式共同創造出了某種新的生態系統。與此同時，關於爭端、災異或神秘的意象亦持存著：地緣政治，資本戰爭，大規模汙染抑或難民危機，海洋同樣意味著終止與不可控，「利維坦」在此更新了自身的可怖。凱勒·伊斯特林曾談及新自由主義經濟幻想中的「無摩擦之海」，將其想像為平滑與無摩擦的實體，然而在平滑的表面下卻富含著高強度的摩擦與複雜的媒介地貌。在此次發言中，我將通過藝術家的實踐來探討海洋在當下的多重面目，並試圖勾勒出作為網絡的海洋的影像狀態。

 

楊北辰，當代藝術與電影研究者，策展人。先後畢業於法國巴黎第十大學與北京電影學院，以論文《作為檔案的電影》（Film as Archive）獲得電影歷史與理論博士學位；並作為資深編輯在ARTFORUM中文網工作多年；現任教於中央戲劇學院，並擔任新世紀當代藝術基金會特約研究員。他長期致力於當代藝術與電影研究之間的跨領域工作，曾發起並策劃多項運動-影像的展覽與放映活動，目前主要從事當代運動-影像理論、媒體考古學與新物質主義方面的研究。

2019年4月27日

下午場：14:30-17:30

14:30

主題演講：技術化時代的藝術、傳媒與社會：先鋒藝術與工具理性

演講人：吳靖

 

在本雅明的論述中，由於機械複製技術的介入，現代藝術的先鋒性在於其促進社會民主化的潛在力量。而在20世紀工業社會的歷史中，電子媒介、社會科學與商業文化的發展，同時催生了將科技與藝術應用到社會管理與控制領域的大規模實踐。這些實踐在數字媒介時代更加深度地發展，我們可以從電子與數碼科技的諸多案例中管窺這些實踐的社會意圖，以及反思社會如何回應和改造這些實踐。

 

吳靖，愛荷華大學傳播研究系傳播學碩士、博士，北京大學新聞與傳播學院教授。主要研究領域為批判媒體與文化研究，傳播與媒介技術的社會理論，新媒介技術的社會使用與文化分析，視覺文化等。目前，吳靖的研究主要側重於奇觀文化與新媒介技術的社會想像與社會使用。

 

15:20

從「終極烏託邦」到「宇宙中的人」——全球化與《三體》的烏託邦性質

發言人：楊宸

 

儘管如今《三體》已被納入到各種闡釋框架中，但卻少有人注意到《三體》作為一個非「烏託邦文本」的烏託邦性質。在對科幻文類的反向追溯中，莫爾的《烏託邦》構成一個很關鍵的「起點」，而這一文本又聯繫著新航路開闢/全球化的歷史事實，這提示了烏託邦、科幻與全球化的密切關聯。由此反觀，全球化可為討論《三體》這一科幻文本的烏託邦性質提供一重要視角。在此視角下，我們能發現劉慈欣如何在文本內建構出了他的「終極烏託邦」，又如何從這一想像中召喚出了「宇宙中的人」，而此二者構成的「宇宙-人類」裝置又如何導向了均質全球化想像。這一想像在哈拉維式「克蘇魯紀」的映照下，恰恰顯示出了其面對全球化時的「中國」式期待與焦慮。

 

楊宸，北京大學中文系比較文學與世界文學博士在讀，關注八十年代文學、科幻、電影研究等領域。

 

15:40

戲裡與戲外的技術理性問題

發言人：傅正

 

也許對於技術理性的評判是科幻文學永恆的話題。電影《流浪地球》熱映以來，好評之聲固然不絕於耳，批判抨擊者亦不乏見。爭論的關鍵之一是這部影片是怎麼思考技術理性問題的？電影與原著在這個問題上又有什麼差別？此外還有人擔憂：中國電影工業會不會因此而盲目追趕美國好萊塢的技術手段，而忘掉了對人類倫理價值的根本思考？應當說，對於技術理性的討論既存在於戲裡，也存在於戲外。所謂「戲裡」，即電影和原著分別對技術理性抱有何種態度？所謂「戲外」，即好萊塢技術模式對於未來的中國科幻電影道路意味著什麼？

 

傅正，北京師範大學歷史學博士，清華大學人文與社會科學高等研究所博士後。主要研究方向為中國近代思想史、中國近代政治史、西方政治思想史。曾在《近代史研究》、《開放時代》、《文化縱橫》等刊物發表專業論文數篇，並有專著《古今之變——蜀學今文學與近代革命》。

 

16:00

集體討論與問答

全體嘉賓

回應人：陳璽安（策展人，長徵計劃研究員）

主持人：杜可柯（ARTFORUM中文網主編）

              李佳（泰康空間高級策展人）

Theory Fever: 

Art, Technology, Popular Culture

Artforum.com.cn and Taikang Space are pleased to present 「Theory Fever: Art, Technology, Popular Culture」, a one-day symposium starting out first from the widely popular writings of Liu Cixin to explore the technological 「theory fever」 of the past few years and its connections with recent artistic creation and curatorial practice in China. 

In 2011 and 2012, the Chinese art world birthed its first instance of 「theory fever」 [1]. At that time sweeping through the entire art world as topics of discussion were 「ABRZ」 — Agamben, Badiou, Rancière, and Žižek, and the platforms for online debate were still Weibo and forums. In the space of 6 or 7 years, WeChat has replaced Weibo as the overlord of social media, and another wave of theory fever is breaking against the shore, this time with technology as the protagonist. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the rapidly changing technological reality and its impact on a global scale have brought forth a new round of reflection on the (Western) modernity. The Anthropocene, Neo-Realism, Post-Humanism, Post-Nature, Accelerationism… regardless of the specific connotations and political aims of these terms in their respective philosophical and theoretical fields, they are starting to be frequently used and discussed by domestic artists, curators, and art critics, with translations into Chinese being completed faster than ever. However, we cannot ignore the unavoidable transformations within this process: after going through a typical 「shock」 of Westernization and being drawn into the modernization program, China has been embroiled in the upheaval of the 20th century, and turned into a key player in Neoliberalism’s global capitalist market— facing this reality, what exactly do the above-mentioned technologies and their speculations mean for artistic creation today? Is this just a trend of new buzzwords that people follow only in spirit, a new arsenal of themes and methodology, or new clues with great potential to inspire? If the crises of the global era require globalized plans in response, can viewing the 「Anthropocene」 and 「Ancestral」 through space and time on a grand planetary scale really help us open up a path out of modernity and all its problems? How does technology constitute a new field of struggle, or present us with a breakthrough to rewrite world history?

In a standard time machine story, rewriting history is tantamount with changing the future. And in the field dedicated to description of the future, in 2015 Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin won the Hugo Award for Best Novel with his book The Three-Body Problem. In a moment, science fiction changed from a niche literary genre to a hot topic in mainstream cultural discussions. At the end of last year, the domestically-made science fiction film The Wandering Earth, based on Liu’s novel of the same name, made more than 4 billion RMB at the box office, a phenomenal success. At the same time, it also ignited spectacular debate on the Internet. Though the story is set in the starry sea of the constellations, the vast universe, the serious commentary online was actually mostly about the Cold War, the Cultural Revolution, the Third World, and (Chinese) historical experience. Arguments online were between different groups — 「Wolf Warriors」 (militaristic nationalists), the 「Industrial Party」 (pro-technology and industry) and "Little Pinks」 (nationalist youth). Liu Cixin's works have obviously gone past the inherent context of science fiction, and become a type of phenomenon in popular culture, which naturally has had many 「ideological critiques」 directed against it. But apart from using it as an object of cultural criticism, are there further intellectual resources we can gain from the phenomenon of Liu Cixin and his work? After all, from the beginning contemporary art has gained as much of its sustenance from popular culture as from avant-garde theory.

[1] LEAP Magazine, 「Theory Fever」 issue, April 2012.

Full Program

April 27 2019

Morning Session: 11:00-12:30

11：00

Keynote Lecture: The Work of Art in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Speaker: Li Guangyi

In his essay 「The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction」, Walter Benjamin put forward his belief that the usage of technologies of mechanical reproduction caused the disappearance of the feelings of distance and uniqueness present in classical art, leading to the vanishing of 「aura.」 At the moment when we are entering the age of Artificial Intelligence, will the mechanical reproduction brought by 「Deep Learning」 lead to the complete disappearance of 「aura」, or a new form of silicon/carbon-silicon-based 「aura」? In contemporary Chinese science fiction, we may be able to get a glimpse of the future of art.

Li Guangyi holds a Ph.D from UCLA, and is associate professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Chongqing University. His research interests include modern and contemporary Chinese literature, Chinese intellectual history, science fiction literature and culture, and utopian literature and thought. He edited Chinese Science Fiction: A New Start (2016), Readings of The Three Body Problem (2017), and translated Ruth Levitas』 The Concept of Utopia (2018).

11:50

Lab as the Generator of Surprises
Speaker: Jo Wei

The laboratory is one of the most important products of modern technology, yet this space is seen as somewhere full of mysterious black boxes of unknown functions. In Laboratory Life, Bruno Latour attempted to use the methods of anthropology to research the construction of the laboratory, and the book has become foundational for Science and Technology Studies (STS). Is the laboratory not simply removing the magic from nature, leading to a major decrease in occultism and related realms, and becoming the opposite of the humanities, art and other creative fields? The reality is not so simple. The speaker's research project, 「Lab as Generator of Surprises」, attempts to explain a new type of relationship between the laboratory and arts and humanities. This project is not only concerned with modern laboratories, but also looks back to the early definition of the laboratory in the history of science and art history. The first phase of the project will examine famous international laboratories with artist residency programs to illustrate another possible perspective on art history and the many other topics that may be derived from it, such as models for collaboration between artists and scientists, the formulation of 「Big Science」 policy, the position of science in popular culture, and more.
 
Jo Wei is a curator and researcher. She is currently a researcher on Art, Science and Technology(AST) at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, as well as the founder of the Pan Bio Art Studio (PBS). Her recent work and research interests include: bio art, AST in the post-human context, research on STS, the integration of the history of science and art, and more.

12:10

Ocean as Moving-Image and Network

Speaker: Yang Beichen

The ocean is a medium. It connects separated continents, and through different channels built on the surface or in the deep it delivers materials, energy, and information. The networks constructed through these channels are now an integral part of the world's functioning on a global scale. Shipping routes on the surface of the sea, deep sea oil pipelines and fiber optic cables, and oil rigs everywhere, these man-made artifacts and every conceivable type of original matter/life form from the ocean together create a new type of ecosystem. At the same time, images of conflict, disaster, and mystery still persist: through geopolitics, capitalist warfare, large-scale pollution, and refugee crises, the sea also denotes termination and uncontrollability. Here, the 「Leviathan」 has updated its own horror. Keller Easterling has talked about the 「frictionless sea」 in Neoliberal economic fantasies, imagining it as a smooth and frictionless entity, yet under the smooth surface it is rich in extremely strong friction and a complicated landscape of mediums. In this speech, I will explore the ocean’s multiple aspects today through the practice of the artists, and try to outline the state of the image of the ocean as network.

Yang Beichen is a curator/researcher of film and contemporary art. He received his M.A. from University Paris Nanterre and his Ph.D. from the Beijing Film Academy with a dissertation titled 「Film as Archive」. He has worked as senior editor at artforum.com.cn. for many years and currently teaches film and media theory at the Central Academy of Drama (Beijing). He is also a guest researcher at the New Century Art Foundation (Beijing). Yang has devoted himself to the interdisciplinary research between contemporary art and cinema through curatorial practices. His current research focuses on the theory of the contemporary moving-image, media archaeology, and the new materialism. 

April 27 2019

Afternoon Session: 14:30 – 17:30

14:30

Keynote Lecture: Art, Media, and Society in the Age of Technological Change: Pioneering Art and Instrumental Rationality

Speaker: Wu Jing

In Benjamin's explanation, owing to the intervention of mechanical reproduction technology, modern art’s avant-garde nature lies in its potential to promote social democraticization. In the history of industrial society of the 20th century, the development of electronic media, social science, and business culture also gave birth to the large-scale practice of applying science, technology, and art, to the fields of social management and control. These practices have been more deeply developed in the digital media era, and we can observe the social intent of these practices in many cases from electronic and digital science and technology, while reflecting on how society responds to and transforms according to these practices.

Wu Jing obtained her Master’s and Ph.D. in Communications Studies from the University of Iowa, and is a professor at Peking University’s School of Journalism and Communication. Her central field of research is critical media and theory studies, the social theory of communication and media technology, the social uses of new media technology and cultural analysis, visual culture, and more. Currently, Wu Jing's research places special emphasis on the social imaginary and social use of the culture of the spectacle and new media technology.

15:20

From 「Ultimate Utopia」 to 「People in the Universe」: Globalization and the Utopian Nature of The Three-Body Problem

Speaker: Yang Chen

Although The Three Body Problem has already been drawn into various interpretative frameworks, not many people have noticed the utopian nature of the text, as a non-「Utopian novel.」 Tracing in reverse the lineage of science fiction, Moore's Utopia constitutes a key 「starting point,」 and this literary form is linked to historical facts around new routes of opening up/globalization, suggesting a close correlation between Utopia, science fiction, and globalization. From this point of view, globalization can provide an important perspective for discussing the utopian nature of The Three-Body Problem as a science fiction text. From this angle, we can find out how Liu Cixin constructed his 「ultimate utopia」 in the text, and how to summon the 「people in the universe」 from this imaginary, as well as how these two constitute the 「cosmo-human」 device and how this leads to a homogeneous global imagination. This imaginary, under a Haraway-style 「Chthulucene」, precisely shows 「Chinese」 style expectations and anxiety in the face of globalization.

Yang Chen is a Ph.D. student in Comparative Literature and World Literature at the Chinese Department of Peking University. His areas of focus are 1980s literature, science fiction, and film studies.

15:40

Technological Rationality Problems Inside and Outside of Plot 

Speaker: Fu Zheng

   

Perhaps the judgment of technical rationality is science fiction's eternal topic. Since the film The Wandering Earth opened in cinemas, the roar of praise has been endless, but there has also been no lack of critics. One of the key issues of the debate is how the film thinks about technical rationality. What is the difference between the film and the original novel on this point? Besides, there are still people concerned: will the Chinese film industry blindly rush to catch up with the technical methods of America’s Hollywood, and forget fundamental thinking about human ethical values? It should be said that the discussion of technical rationality exists both inside and outside of the film’s plot. What is 「inside of the plot,」 that is to say, what is the attitude of the film and the original novel towards technical rationality? What is 「outside of the plot」, that is to say, what does the Hollywood technological model mean for the future path of Chinese science fiction movies?

Fu Zheng holds a Ph.D. from Beijing Normal University, and is a postdoctoral fellow at Tsinghua University’s Institute of Humanities and Social Science. Key research interests include the history of modern Chinese thought, modern Chinese political history, and the history of Western political thought. He has published several professional papers in publications such as 「Modern Chinese History Studies」, 「Open Times」, and 「Beijing Cultural Review」, and has written a monograph on 「Ancient-modern Transformation——Sichuan School and the Chinese Revolution」. 

16:00

Group Discussion and Q&A:

All speakers

Respondents: Zian Chen (Curator, researcher at Long March Project)

Moderator: 

Du Keke (Editor of artforum.com.cn.)

Li Jia (Senior curator of Taikang Space)

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