the machine to be another

source: vimeo

Gender Swap is an experiment that uses themachinetobeanother.org/ system as a platform for embodiment experience (a neuroscience technique in which users can feell themselves like if they were in a different body). In order to create the brain ilusion we use the immersive Head Mounted Display Oculus Rift, and first-person cameras. To create this perception, both users have to syncronize their movements. If one does not correspond to the movement of the other, the embodiment experience does not work. It means that both users have to constantly agree on every movement they make. Through out this experiment, we aim to investigate issues like Gender Identity, Queer Theory, feminist technoscience, Intimacy and Mutual Respect.
Acknowledgement to SPECS – Synthetic, Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems Group / Pompeu Fabra University

Be Another Lab is an art collective dedicated to the investigate telepresence and embodiment experiences. We develop innovative interaction tools – using Web, digital technology and also neuroscientist methodologies – to provoke reflections about users own identities as individuals and also as members of this broader collective system called humanity.

INVESTIGATORS: Philippe Bertrand, Daniel Gonzalez-Franco, Arthur Pointeau, Christian Cherene, Marte Roel

COLLABORATORS: Experts and members of art collective ChinosInternational.CC
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source: themachinetobeanother

More than individuals, we are part of a social collective called humanity. As members of this collective, the perception of our own identity is based on our relation with other people and our social environment: how people see us, how we do act and interact with them, and what self image we project to this society and to ourselves. As part of this collective society, it is clear the importance of understanding the ‘Other’ and ‘Each Other’ to better understand ourselves. This artistic investigation plans to use the recent neuroscience approach of ‘embodiment’ and apply it to investigate the perception and comprehension about the Self based on the comprehension of the “Other”.

‘The Machine’ is a low budget Creative Commons technology based on Papers published on the Web for researchers on Embodiment, from institutions such as Group Ehrsson from Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, and Event Lab, in Barcelona.
The system was developed with the support of the Media lab Hangar and the Univeristat Pompeu Fabra (both in Barcelona), besides the interdisciplinary orientation of Grid Spinoza project (from Hangar). During a 4 months’ art residency at the L’estruch Cultural Center (in Sabadell, Spain) the project was tested as a SOCIAL APPLICATION in a series of experiments and performances involving people from local community. The Machine was also part of the Medicine Hack Day – an event promoted by MIT in Madrid – in which we’ve collaborated with neurologists in order to design rehabilitation and diagnosis systems.

The project has shown endless possibilities and the next steps of the investigation would be to measure EMPATHY generated among users. We are also very interested in collaborating with: psychology investigators dedicated to Mentalization-based treatment (MBT); Human scientists working on Conflict Resolution and Social Relations; and also neuroscientists, working on rehabilitation and body perception.

BE ANOTHER LAB is an interdisciplinary art collective dedicated to investigate embodied and telepresence experiments. We believe that the understanding of the “self” is related to the understanding of the “Other” and that more than individuals, we are part of a broader system called humanity. Under this perspective, we search for innovative possibilities on the concepts of embodied interaction, extended body and extended mind by mixing low-budget digital technology with social relations, Web and also neuroscientist methodologies.
We develop Creative Commons tools based on OpenKnowledge and are collaborating with experimental psychologists and neurologists to develop usage procedures to ‘the machine’ as a low-budget rehabilitation system, and also as an immersive role playing system.

Philippe Bertrand: interdisciplinary artist, investigator, activist. Interested in interactive narratives and 2.0 tools of social intervention.
Daniel Gonzáles-Franco: electronic explorer, interest in visual/sound interactive art, VR, binaural audio, embodiment and telepresence.
Christian Cherene: researcher, performer, Interactive System designer. Interest in Rehabilitation Game Systems, hyper-documentation and neuroscience.
Arthur Pointeau: Programmer seeking the empowerment of individuals and communities by digital means. He likes to work in interdisciplinary environments where science, humanities and technology meet and stimulate each other.
Chinos International CC collaboration from Jordi Planas: hacker, activist, theoretical thinker – during the art residency at L’estruch. Marte Roel: artist, professor and researcher of embodiment surrounding spatial cognition, play behavior and agency. He has explored the intersection of art and technology for modulating perceptual contingencies.
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source: facebook

“The Machine to Be Another” es un proyecto de investigación artística acerca de EMBODIMENT y RELACIONES SOCIALES. Diseñado a partir de un hack de experimentos de neurociencia, el sistema ofrece al usuario la posibilidad de verse en el cuerpo de otra persona, abordando así la relación entre identidad y empatía. Durante la Conferencia, los desarrolladores – del colectivo BeAnotherLab – van a contar el proceso y resultados de 1 año de investigación que incluye su residencia artística en L’estruch y la participación en el Medicine Hack Day, evento promovido por MIT Mvision Consortium.
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source: lestruch

Presentació de la investigació de Be Another Lab durant la seva residència a l’Estruch a partir de la col·laboració amb Liant la Troca

– xerrada: ballant de peu amb “La máquina de Ser Otro”, l’art com a eina de rehabilitació motora i neurològica
– performance de dansa “Caracoleando en espejo” per Victoria Martínez Alés i Cristina Roca.
– proves obertes al públic amb la poesia de Jesús Ricart Morera “Diálogo con el habitante de mi espejo”

Presentación de la investigación de BeAnotherLab durante su residencia en el Estruch y a partir de la colaboración con Liant la Troca

– charla: bailando de pié con “La Máquina de Ser Otro”, el arte como herramienta de rehabilitación motora y neurológica.
– performance de danza “Caracoleando en Espejo” – por Victoria Martínez Alés y Cristina Roca
– pruebas abiertas al público con la poesía de Jesus Ricart Morera “Diálogo con el habitante de mi espejo”