2011
Robots, acrylic dome, LCD display, Arduinos
Andre Teh-hsi Chen, Christian Eckels, Thomas Hines, Shan Liu (USA)
Supported by: School of Art, Media and Technology, Parsons the New School for Design
Replacement Life portrays the human destruction of biodiversity. With our endlessly rising carbon dioxide levels, an artificial world simultaneously thrives on humanity’s ongoing global demolition project. Often thought to be one of the biggest contributing factors to environmental changes, carbon dioxide is measured as a life indicator for the techno creatures, This thematic project brings to question whether there is truly a replacement for a disappearing ecosystems, and the consequences of this inverse relationship.
Every day we shift our understanding on the idea of life and our “natural world”. While we ourselves become as much machine as human, we are remaking the world in our image, and altering everything that lives around us. By looking at robots as “species”, and considering that their growth comes at the cost of life to other species, we hope viewers reconsider this artificial balance that technological advancement has a consequence.
Artist bio:
Andre Teh-hsi Chen is an MFA candidate at Parsons School of Design, Design and Technology Program.
Christian Eckels is an MFA candidate at Parsons School of Design, Design and Technology Program.
Thom Hines’ work explores the ambiguity in the space between our digital and analog worlds. With a tendency toward the playful, he uses technology to make both more accessible and engaging. Hines is an MFA candidate at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, where he also runs an interactive design studio, Don’t Get the Wrong Idea.
Shan Liu is an MFA Candidate at Design and Technology Program, Parsons School of Design. With a background in product design, she has been working on projects that dynamically embed digital interfaces into ordinary artifacts. Her interest also lays in social intervention and critical design.
