Eric Musgrave Event #2 LOVE MACHINES, UCLA DMA 2024 MFA exhibition

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 The LOVE MACHINES Design Media Arts MFA exhibition was a fruitful event that allowed a number of artists present their different forms of artistry, all of which emphasized a love for machinery with an emphasis on the future of technology. According to the Design, Media and Arts website,  "Love Machines is the foreclosed command - the demand to operationalize the self and accept technology as the answer." The theme of the event could not be more clear than in its participants, all of whom presented unique and varying interpretations of this theme. One piece that stood out among the different artists was a piece entitled "Abel & I" by Aurora Mititelu which is heralded as an "interactive installation." The piece is of a phone/app in which Mititelu  draws upon her past relationship with partners to explore the nuances of her being in a relationship with the male version of herself.


Me and artist, Aurora Metitelu at the DMA MFA exhibition.

Overall the piece draws upon many aspects touched upon in past weeks of the course such as the concept of a neurasthenic computer which is "a computer programmed by humanoid codes"(Davis, pg. 383). The text messages exchanged between someone who engages in the art and the bot are a reflection of a system, that while automated is still nonetheless reflective of some true human emotions/ interactions. Furthermore, Mitilelu explores the idea of what it means to "autonomous in a heteronormative society" (Mititelu, 2024). Since the chat bot is essentially a reflection of herself. the piece suggests control over both aspects of a heteronormative relationship with Mititelu assuming both the "masculine" and "feminine" identities in the piece.
Gen/esis - 3D Rendering and Generative AI on Textile Print
Another piece that was somewhat interesting to me was "Wet Floor" which was created by Chong Xu which is described as a robotic installation. The piece is fairly simple in application and features 4 wet floor signs equipped with water guns that spray water on the floor and move to the direction of the water that is spilled.  Walter Benjamin asserts, " Even the most perfect reproduction of art is lacking in... its unique existence at the place it happens to be" (pg.1). Benjamin's assessment applies perfectly to this piece because the duty of the wet floor sign is not as important as the its position in space. Where there is no water, there is no need for a wet floor sign. To circumvent this dilemma, Xu equips his wet floor signs with water guns which effectively always gives them a use and a purpose for existing. I definitely recommend my classmates to attend this event because the abundance of pieces allowed for various interpretations and serves as a source of inspiration for creative minds.

Wet Floors by Chong Xu

Works Cited
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Translated by J. A.                                   Underwood, Penguin Books, 2008.
Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.2307/1576221.
Mititelu, Aurora. Abel & I. Interactive Installation, May 2024.
UCLA Design Media Arts | Event | MFA Thesis Spring 2024 Exhibit. http://www.design.ucla.edu/events/mfa-spring-24-exhibit. Accessed 19 May 2024.

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