Borrowed Limbs
An experimental short film produced with a custom-designed production pipeline for generative Machine Learning to mediate speculative concepts of disembodied intelligence
The experimental short film “Borrowed Limbs”, created in collaboration between the two designers Lisa-Marleen Mantel and Laura Juliane Wagner, emphasizes the mediating role speculative design has in the face of disruptive technological advancements, as it allows for the exploration and simulation of ethical issues. The short film is centered around an AI main character who uses the human body as a sensing device to gain a physical understanding of their surroundings. Influenced by posthuman thinkers, the work aims to provoke a discussion about Cartesian notions of disembodied intelligence.
The work combines recent developments in philosophy and cognitive science with state-of-the-art technologies and artistic practice: Main part of the film was produced with a machine-learning-backed process called “CLIP guided diffusion”. This method enables image synthesis based on language prompts. Prompts are carefully refined in a human-machine communication loop. In a way, the practical processes involved in producing the film reflect the speculative idea of an ongoing dialogue found in the narrative. The work was created as part of the Master Research at KISD – Cologne International School of Design (Faculty of TH Köln).
The process of producing the film is described in detail in form of a research paper.
AUGUST 2022
ARS ELECTRONICA
as part of “Ars Electronica Animation Festival – Welcome to Planet B”
Kepler Gardens, Linz
NOVEMBER 2022
MUSEUMSNACHT KÖLN
as part of “States of motion”
Cologne
AUGUST 2022
CREATIVE CODING UTRECHT
Utrecht, the Netherlands
AUGUST 2022
KISD PARCOURS
Cologne