Renzo Filinich Orozco

This essay unfolds on the fundamental question that invariably dominates today's discussions, about new technology and its ability to have a transformative effect in all areas of contemporary life and in human beings themselves. Obviously, the true qualitative novelty of the technological advances that occur before our eyes lies not only in the emergence of new artistic practices related to one or another scientific research. Its essence consists in the fact that these practices, when interacting with each other, begin to generate a complicated systemic integrity, a new space of human existence. The effect of this symbiosis can be seen in the full use of knowledge about the foundations of living and non-living matter, as well as in the knowledge of the physical nature of the human being. On the other hand, those powerful technologies that have so far changed, for the most part, the world around us, now turn to human and non-human beings. With all that said, the question arises: How does the technologization and computerization of cultural techniques change the nature of knowledge and the affection of being with others (people, things, animals)?

En Electromecánicas IV, – Despliegue y activación de un espacio-tiempo barroco, Mónica Salinero socióloga y Renzo Filinich artista, se sumergen en el trabajo de análisis de la obra de Raúl Díaz, “Electromecánicas IV, poniendo en valor la diferencia conceptual y la diversidad del universo latinoamericano como espacio de creación situado. Inspirados en las teorías de Bolivar Echevarria, discuten la complejidad simbólica que rodea a esta experiencia estética, deteniéndose en los valores y funciones que se encuentran dentro del espectro cultural andino que la contiene. El relato persigue desentrañar el armazón de pensamiento que alumbra el proceso de creación, cuando la puesta en marcha de dispositivos obsoletos, se vuelve metáfora de intervención local, sobre una reciclada y reconvertida tradición occidental, que representa la idea de Modernidad barroca.

In this essay, we explore the philosophical and theoretical resonances of the artwork Qatipana from the perspective of some key insights of Gilbert Simondon’s information processing system approach. Qatipana (Quechua word that means flow, sequence, transmission) is a hybrid ecosystem of information flow which, even though not the kind of dispositive systems theory was designed to read, offers some valuable empirical insights to test some key aspects of Simondon’s information processing systems. In particular, we are interested in observing how Simondon’s becoming and individuation play out in an algorithmic cycle performed by the cognitive system of an Artificial Intelligence agent: how does mono-technology and computerization of cultural techniques influence the nature of knowing the affection of being with others (people, things, animals)? We contrast Simondon’s contributions with the work of Norbert Wiener and Stafford Beer on information in cybernetics and the cosmotechnics and Technodiversity of Chinese philosopher Yuk Hui. Furthermore, we offer a provisional assessment of the reach, limits, and possibilities this kind of symbiotic crossing of technologies and arts: it is a field filled with challenges and unresolved complexities that should encourage us to recognize the urgency that is implied in the disruptive (and creative) we can see unfolding in social and political life. The already pervasive (and growing) presence of computational systems has become both a tremendous risk and a vertiginous deployment of liberating opportunities. Latin America and elsewhere are desperately calling for an insightful and imaginative engagement.

El presente ensayo gira en torno a los conceptos y procesos de Devenir e Individuación a través de un ecosistema híbrido cuya arquitectura lleva por nombre Qatipana (palabra quechua que denota el flujo de los sistemas de procesamiento de información), aunque no puede considerarse como una teoría de sistemas, tiene la utilidad de poder explicar algunas observaciones empíricas que aquí se presentan; y donde se evidencia un modelo funcional basado en la articulación de un sistema de procesamiento de información apoyado en los enfoques del filósofo Gilbert Simondon; esta investigación tiene como objetivo observar un ciclo sensoriomotor realizado por el sistema cognitivo de un agente de Inteligencia Artificial. Para establecer este modelo de inspiración biológica, utilizamos los conceptos de información y modulación en Gilbert Simondon e información en la cibernética de Norbert Wiener y Stafford Beer. Estos recursos obligan a plantearnos la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo influye el mono-tecnologismo e informatización de las técnicas culturales en la propia naturaleza del conocimiento del afecto del estar con los demás (personas, cosas, animales)? Para responder a esta pregunta se ofrece un estudio interdisciplinario (artes, ciencias, tecnologías de la información) sobre el efecto de esta simbiosis y de qué manera se puede ver en el uso pleno de conocimientos sobre los fundamentos de la materia viva y no viva. En conclusión, las implicaciones y limitaciones de este modelo y la investigación que se está llevando a cabo para presentar su utilidad y probabilidad como modelo tecno-diversificado del sistema cognitivo algorítmico son parte de las cuestiones de comunicación y afecto en las decisiones que brinda este sistema cibernético.

The present research turns around the concepts and processes of Becoming and Individuation where it evidences a functional model based on the articulation of an informational processing system based on the approaches of the philosopher Gilbert Simondon. It aims to model a sensorimotor cycle performed by the cognitive system of an Artificial Intelligence agent. To establish this model of biological inspiration, we use the concepts of information in cybernetics by Norbert Wiener, information and modulation in Gilbert Simondon and the notion of machine performativity in light of Bernard Stiegler's ideas. Although the architecture that we have called Qatipana (Quechua word that denotes the flow of information processing systems) cannot be considered as a systems theory, it has the utility of being able to explain some empirical observations that we also present here. In conclusion, the implications and limitations of this model and the research that is being carried out to present its utility and probability as a model of the algorithmic cognitive system are part of the questions of communication and affect in the decisions provided by the automatic system.