SIGGRAPH Spotlight: Episode 63 — The Evolution of Art: From Human Perspective to Tech-driven Innovation

From left to right: Martin Honzik, Paola Antonelli (Marton Perlaki © 2016), Nicolas Henchoz

What’s next for the world of art, innovation, and design? This episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight dives into these topics and more. Tune in as SIGGRAPH 2023 Art Papers Chair Nicolas Henchoz moderates a discussion between Paola Antonelli, curator for Design and Innovation at the MoMA in New York City, and Martin Honzik, chief curatorial officer of Ars Electronica Linz. Hear their thoughts on tech-driven innovation, the evolution of the metaverse, the relevance of design in today’s society, and more.

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About Our Guests

Paola Antonelli is the senior curator of architecture and design at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as MoMA’s founding director of research and development. Her goal is to promote design’s understanding until its positive influence on the world is universally acknowledged. Her work investigates design’s impact on everyday experience, often including overlooked objects and practices, and combining design, architecture, art, science, and technology. Among her most recent exhibitions are the XXII Triennale di Milano Broken Nature, and MoMA’s Material Ecology — on the work of architect Neri Oxman — and Never Alone, on video games and interactive design. The Instagram platform and book “Design Emergency” (@design.emergency), which she co-founded with design critic Alice Rawsthorn, is an ongoing investigation on design’s power to envision a better future for all.

Martin Honzik is an artist, CCO of Ars Electronica Linz, and managing director of the Ars Electronica’s Festival, Prix, and Exhibitions. He studied visual experimental design at Linz Art University (graduated in 2001) and completed the master’s program in culture and media management at the University of Linz and ICCM Salzburg (graduated in 2003). Besides being an independent artist in several art projects, he joined the staff of the Ars Electronica Future Lab as a researcher in 2001, where, until 2005, his responsibilities included exhibition design, art in architecture, interface design, event design, and project management. Since 2006, Honzik has been managing director of the Ars Electronica Festival, the Prix Ars Electronica, the Exhibitions in the Ars Electronica Center, and Ars Electronica Export. He has been curating a considerable number of international exhibitions in the context of art, science, and technology. Additionally, he became CCO (chief curatorial officer) of Ars Electronica Linz in 2021.

Nicolas Henchoz is the founding director of the EPFL+ECAL Lab, the Design Research Center of the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne), one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology. With a career spanning engineering, research, art direction, science reporting, and management, he launched the center 15 years ago in collaboration with the leading art school ECAL (Art and Design University, Lausanne). The EPFL+ECAL Lab brings a unique vision of innovation blending cultural creativity with scientific practices, real-life implantation, and human observation to foster disruptive concepts leading to sustainable adoption. His research outcomes have led to multiple academic contributions at ISMAR, HFES, CHI, SIGGRAPH, DRS, and Leonardo amongst others. His projects have also received several awards including the International Design Festival Berlin, Best app of the year (Splash award), Design Prize Switzerland, and Best User experience (Best of the Web). He is a visiting professor at the Politecnico di Milano and member of the Global Alliance for Media Innovation. He has curated more than 30 exhibitions in institutions like the American Institutes of Architecture (New York), the Royal College of Art (London), the Musée des Arts décoratifs (Paris), and Harvard University. He has been decorated Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French minister for culture and communication.