Chimera

Bol

Analyzes, through the lens of posthuman philosophy, the practices of artists and designers who explore the potentialities of bio-mechanical, sensory, and cognitive techno-scientific extensions of our bodies, to define the 'Expanded Body' and its new ethic and entangled relationship with the human and not-human elements that surround us. 25b&w illus Reimagining the human relationship with technoscience and environment, offering fresh, non-hierarchical and ethical perspectives beyond dystopian futures. Building on ideas from both past and present – ranging from twentieth-century research to current discussions in neuroscience, design and media theory – Chimera offers a thoughtful response to common fears about futures driven by technology and science. Instead of imagining a world dominated by machines or centered only on human needs, the book imagines fl uid, queer and nonhierarchical relational models between human bodies and the environment. ‘Chimera is a compelling exploration of how bodies, technologies, and cultural imaginaries intertwine. As an artist navigating similar terrains of gender, biotechnology, and speculative art and design, I found in these pages not only a rigorous framework but also a poetic lens that expands our understanding of what a “body” can become. This book will resonate with anyone curious about the futures already pulsing within us.’ Sputniko!, international artist ‘Marco Mancuso has, in Chimera, provided a fascinating, insightful and bold view of the “expanded body” as a trans-disciplinary and trans-species meeting point. This much needed book, focusing on the important voices and experience of artists, looks beyond dystopia and charts potential new futures for us all with the body and environment critically at its core. I would strongly recommend this book!’ Denise Doyle, professor of Arts and Technology, University of Derby, UK Marco Mancuso holds a PhD in Digital Culture. He is a critic and contemporary art curator and a scholar specializing in the intersection of art, philosophy and technoscience. He is a professor at Politecnico delle Arti in Bergamo, Italy, and is part of the Academic Board of the PhD in New Media and Critical-Curatorial Practices of Contemporary Creation. He is also lecturer at University of Bologna, Italy and at the Node Center in Berlin, Germany, where he coordinates the program Curating the Digital. He is founder and director of the Digicult platform since 2005. Reimagines the human relationship with technoscience and environment, offering fresh, non-hierarchical and ethical perspectives beyond dystopian futures. Exploring the evolving relationship between the human body, technoscience, and the environment, Chimera introduces the concept of the “expanded body” as a transdisciplinary meeting point between art, design, technology, and science. Through a critical examination of developments such as biomechanics, prosthetics, body hacking, and biotechnology, the book investigates how these innovations alter our bodily, sensory, and cognitive capacities. Providing a unique methodological systematization of the main ecological and posthuman philosophy theories, it argues for a new framework in which the human is deeply entangled with both human and nonhuman elements in a shared environment. Building on ideas from both past and present—ranging from twentieth-century research to current discussions in neuroscience, design, and media theory—Chimera offers a thoughtful response to common fears about futures driven by technology and science. Instead of imagining a world dominated by machines or centered only on human needs, the book imagines fluid, queer, and nonhierarchical relational models between human bodies and the environment. Essential reading for scholars and students in contemporary art, new media, science and technology studies, and environmental and posthuman studies, Chimera also speaks to a wider audience interested in how technology and science is reshaping our understanding of life, identity, and ethical coexistence.

Amazon

Pages: 250, Hardcover, Intellect (UK)