RETROSPECTIVE TRANSMIGRATING ANIMA III: ANIMATION IN THE AGE OF AI

RETROSPEKTIVA TRANSMIGRACIJA ANIME III: ANIMACIJA V DOBI AI

Saturday, 28. 9. 2023 at 14.00 / Vetrinj mansion, big hall

Sobota, 26. 9. 2023 ob 14.00 / Vetrinjski dvor, velika dvorana

Curated and introduced by Juergen Hagler
This event combines formats of screening and lecture.

Kurira in predstavlja Juergen Hagler
Dogodek združuje formata projekcije in predavanja.

In the realm of digital art, Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a transformative role, introducing various innovative methods to the art-making process, like style transfer or text to image/video. A central aspect of this transformation is the concept of generative image synthesis. Based on current AI-generated films from the category New Animation Art at Prix Ars Electronica, I will show how the creative collaboration process between artists and AI tools may become a central theme of the animated film. A particular focus will be placed on the creative Human-AI collaboration and on the interaction of technological innovation and artistic expression to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current and potential impact of AI-based style transfer and AI-generated images in the art world.
Juergen Hagler is an academic researcher, artist and curator at the interface of animation, game, and media art. He studied art education, experimental visual design, and cultural studies at the University for Art and Design Linz, Austria. Currently, he is a Professor of Computer Animation and Media Studies and the head of studies of the bachelor’s and master’s programme Digital Arts at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Hagenberg Campus. Since 2014 he is the co-head of the research group Playful Interactive Environments with a focus on the investigation of new and natural forms of interaction and the use of playful mechanisms to encourage specific behavioral patterns. He has been involved in the activities of Ars Electronica since 1997 in a series of different functions. Since 2017 he is the director of the Ars Electronica Animation Festival and initiator and organizer of the Expanded Animation Symposium (2013–2023), Synaesthetic Syntax Conference (2020–2023) and Expanded – Conference on Animation and Interactive Art (since 2024). In 2023, he founded ANIMA PLUS, a Linz-based organization with the aim of supporting animation art and culture in Upper Austria and beyond.