Ecologies of Becoming explores the entwined realms of art, technology, and the deep connections formed through human-machine collaboration. Authored by the visionary artist and researcher Sougwen Chung, this monograph fuses an extensive body of work that probes the fluidity between humans and technology. The publication serves as a printed testament to Sougwen’s interdisciplinary approach, spanning drawing, performance, and digital fabrication which has been showcased at pivotal exhibitions and residencies worldwide. The book unfurls themes of hybridity, co-creation, and the transformative power of technology in expanding the boundaries of artistic practice. Sougwen’s explorations go beyond the canvas to include custom robotic co-creators, illuminating the potential of machines to enrich the creative process rather than serve as mere tools.

Through Ecologies of Becoming, readers embark on a journey through the artist’s conceptualization of art as a dynamic, relational process, highlighting their commitment to blurring the lines between creator and creation, organic and synthetic, art, technology, and Human-Machine Collaboration.

BIOGRAPHY:

Sougwen Chung is a Chinese-Canadian artist and researcher, widely considered a pioneer in the field of human-machine collaboration. Sougwen’s work MEMORY (Drawing Operations Unit: Generation 2) is part of the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert museum, and is the first AI model to be collected by a major institution. Recently, Chung’s was recognized as a Cultural Leader at the World Economic Forum and named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI.

Chung has exhibited internationally at the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; Art Basel, Miami; National Art Center, Tokyo; NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC], Tokyo, Japan; ArtScience Museum, Singapore; MIT Media Lab, Cambridge; The Drawing Center, New York; The New Museum, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Geneva; Mana Contemporary, New York.

Chung’s work has been featured in publications including Art F City, Artnet, Artplugged, Artsy, Business Insider, Dazed and Confused, Engadget, EXIT Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes, Irish Times, MASHABLE, Noema Magazine, Seattle Times, Superrare, The Creators Project, The Jakarta Post, The New Yorker, USA Today, Washington Post, and Wired.

A former TED Speaker and researcher at MIT Media Lab, Chung has spoken at international conferences including the United Nations, Geneva; World Economic Forum, China; Oxford University; SIGGRAPH Conference, Vancouver.

Chung has been selected for excellence in the Arts & Sciences as Woman of the Year in Monaco, received the Lumen Prize for Art in Technology, was an inaugural E.A.T. Artist in Residence in partnership with New Museum and Bell Labs, was awarded a commission for project Omnia per Omnia, was the Japan Media Arts recipient of the Excellence Award for Drawing Operations, and was selected as one of the Top 20 New Visual Artists by Print Magazine.

Additionally, Sougwen Chung has been awarded Artist in Residence positions at Google, Studio Wayne McGregor, Laurenz Haus Basel, Eyebeam, Japan Media Arts, and Pier 9 Autodesk.