All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace
I like to think (and the sooner the better!) of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky. I like to think (right now please!) of a cybernetic forest filled with pines and electronics where deer stroll peacefully past computers as if they were flowers with spinning blossoms. I like to think (it has to be!) of a cybernetic ecology where we are free of our labors and joined back to nature, returned to our mammal brothers and sisters, and all watched over by machines of loving grace. – Richard Brautigan, All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (1967) All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace, A4 x KADIST Video Library Screening Calderón & Piñeros (La Decanatura), Mary Helena Clark, Jackie Karuti, Siavash Naghshbandi, Pedro Neves Marques, Luiz Roque, and Pascual Sisto In this poem, Richard Brautigan details his hopes for the virtual world of the future. He ponders how humans and intelligent machines will get along, sharing a different perspective to the mainstream, one that is more and somewhat rooted in love. But what exactly does love mean to a machine? And how can connections be forged with humans? The 8 video works as part of the screening All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace explore these ideas. Taking place in the A4 Art Museum · A4 Little Theatre, the special screening featuring 7 artists from different cultural backgrounds brings together video works to explore the current technological landscape from different perspectives. The screening aims to explore the multidimensional relationship between humans and machines from the past, present, and future, and how the ambiguous notion of love comes into play. All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grac e is the third iteration of the annual A4 x KADIST series of curated programs that aim to create new ways to participate in the discourse of new media art and close the gap between the audience and new media art. The featured video works are from the KADIST collection. The A4 x KADIST Video Library Project aims to facilitate access to video works by international contemporary artists for research, education, and enjoyment. The partnership includes a permanent video art-viewing space and an annual video screening series. Luxelakes • A4 Art Museum (formerly A4 Contemporary Arts Center) was founded by Chengdu Wide Horizon Investment Co., Ltd. in March 2008. Ms. Sunny Sun has been the director since its establishment. In August 2016, it moved to Luxelakes Arts Exhibition Center and formally registered as a private non-profit art museum. Designed by architect Antoine Predock, the main structure covers an area of 3,500 square meters, including three-floor independent exhibition halls, a lecture hall, a library, a Kids Space and an art store. Next to it are our permanent themed exhibition hall——the Eco Art Center and a grand theater of 650 seats. Meanwhile, the 2,400-square-meter Art Center of A4 Artist in Residence International Exchange Program is also opened to the public in 2019. With more multi-dimensional space, professional academic research as well as diversified exhibitions and public activities, A4 hopes to enhance its interaction and cooperation with communities, schools and cities to build a more public synthesis of art museum.