Compression cradle

source:lucymcraenet
Compression Cradle looks like a remnant from a world we have not yet seen but might soon inhabit. One where mechanical touch may be an antidote for today’s ‘forever connectedness’, a behaviour that’s triggered a lonely disconnection with ourselves.

The visual appearance of this artwork, begs the question is this a device for sleeping, for pleasure or for performance? This innovation blurs the boundaries between entertainment and domestic space, presenting an indifferent format of voyeurism.

Through a choreography of touch sensations, this mechanism assists in altering the expression of oxytocin — the hormone released in the brain, responsible for building trust and pair bonding.

‘If we slowly de-evolve from physical touch wanting beings then potentially that could change species as we know it, which starts to tip into broken nature, extinction and how we are evolving and de evolving’

Exhibited at Triennale Milano this immersive artwork explores our current touch-deficit status, which will likely become more extreme in the future.

As people increasingly choose to live independently, technology vies for their affection. How will brands and business cater to society’s evolving physical and emotional needs?

Compression Cradle Credits Co commissioned by Het Nieuwe Instituut and Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences

Artist – Lucy McRae

Creative Producer – Alice Parker

Machine Fabrication – Machine Histories

Custom Soft Goods – Anjia Jalac

Studio Team – Minah Kim, Fiona Ng & Brendan Ho

Co-Curators – Francien Van Westrenen, Angela Rui, Marina Otero

Exhibition Design – Olivier Goethals

Graphic Design – Rudy Guedj

Photography – Scottie Cameron, Daria Scagliola

Special thanks to Keinton Butler, Guus Beumer, Mark Van Veen, Ellen Zoete, Angela Rui, Christiane Bosman, Steven Joyner & Jason Pilarski
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source:ashadedviewonfashioncom
Dear Shaded Viewers,

Lucy McRae is a visionary artist from Australia that has periodically had films in ASVOFF. Compression Cradle is a futuristic approach to preparing the self for a future that assumes a lack of human touch and the machine affectionately squeezes the body with a sequence of aerated volumes that hold you tight. As McRae envisions it the mechanical touch may be an antidote for today’s ‘forever connectedness’, a behaviour that’s triggered a lonely disconnection with ourselves.

“Through a choreography of touch sensations, this mechanism assists in altering the expression of oxytocin — the hormone released in the brain, responsible for building trust and pair bonding.
Compression Cradle looks like a remnant from a world we have not yet seen but might soon inhabit. One where mechanical touch may be an antidote for today’s ‘forever connectedness’, a behaviour that’s triggered a lonely disconnection with ourselves.

The visual appearance of this artwork begs the question is this a device for sleeping, for pleasure or for performance? This innovation blurs the boundaries between entertainment and domestic space, presenting an indifferent format of voyeurism.”

Lucy McCrae will be at the Dutch Pavillion at Triennale Milan and you can book a personalised appointment.

The artwork was co-commissioned by Het Nieuwe Instituut and Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences.

Creative Producer – Alice Parker
Fabrication – Machine Histories
Photography – Scottie Cameron
Custom Soft Goods – Anjia Jalac
Studio Team – Minah Kim, Fiona Ng & Brendan Ho
Co-Curators – Francien Van Westrenen, Angela Rui, Marina Otero
Special thanks to Keinton Butler, Guus Beumer, Mark Van Veen, Ellen Zoete, Christiane Bosman, Steven Joyner & Jason Pilarski
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source:nextnaturenet
Lucy’s focus on bodily experience, touch and beauty is – up until now – quite unusual in the field of science fiction. She wants to give science fiction the sex change that is long overdue. “I am pleading for a future that is fleshy, visceral, messy and far away from anything related to the masculine sci-fi stereotype.”

“I think that it is necessary to bring a feminine perspective on technology and treat it more like an elastic membrane that is draped over something else, as opposed to it being the protagonist. I feel like our bodies, our minds and our personalities are the protagonist and technology exists just to support what we are trying to achieve.”

Our bodies, our minds and our personalities are the protagonist.

Lucy emphasizes that the exploration of subjects such as beauty and identity is essential to science fiction. “We are testing our future by imagining life off earth. In a way, beauty and identity are testing the waters of the future. Perhaps leaving earth and going to space is so alienating, that we are exploring alienating beauty as a way of testing what it might be like to live off earth. Beauty and fashion almost become symbols of where we are going.”

Calculated beauty
The Biometric Mirror utilizes the concept of beauty to reflect on artificial intelligence. “Biometric Mirror is a beauty salon that invites the general public to come in and be analyzed,” Lucy elaborates. “You’re told how weird you are, whether you’re an introvert and extrovert, your gender, your age; it’s this clean sweep of biometrics. Next, it morphs your face into what is considered to be bio-statistically beautiful.” It’s definition of beauty is based on an equation of Hollywood’s plastic surgery, the Marquardt’s mask, that is still used in most plastic surgeries to date.

“The result is that, if we all follow the kind of perfected beauty portals that the Marquardt’s mask draws up, we are all going to look the same. Will artificial intelligence end up with a dull mono aesthetic without variation? Biometric Mirror is a way to engage the public and ask questions around the ethics of artificial intelligence. We need to be able to make accidents and there needs to be serendipity. How do we make sure that we keep that serendipity in artificial intelligence?”

How do we make sure that we keep that serendipity in artificial intelligence?

Generally, science seems to be on a mission to achieve perfection and suppress serendipity. “If we look for example at genetic engineering, its’ aim is to remove any disease, any imperfections. We can delete it; we can cut it out and replace it.” This is both a danger and a chance. “In a way, science is design. And that excites me, because then we may deliberately design the human body,” Lucy states.

After all, she remains an optimist. “I think the most important thing is that we ask the right questions, that the questions we’re asking are relevant and provocative and disruptive. We have to make sure that we are asking everybody, not just the experts. And that’s why art is so important; you can’t quantify art, you can’t measure experimentation, and that’s what makes it so valuable. Art and design can ask questions that science and technology may not. Ideally, someone experiences my work and is inspired to ask a question that they never have thought of before.”

Lucy McRae is currently preparing for a solo show at NGV in Melbourne, Australia. You can also experience her work at San Fransisco MOMA as part of the show Far Out until January 2020, and during the first Rabat Biennale starting in September 2019.