Jervert’s “Android Portraits” are a series of drawings created from her experiences with robots and their makers in robotics labs in US, Russia, Japan, China and Denmark. They are developing new strategies for human evolution and immortality.
Claire Jervert and Bina48
From Japan to Russia, and China to Scandinavia and the US, roboticists are developing AI beings that are intended not only to physically resemble humans as closely as possible, but to progressively acquire new skills and knowledge, and convincingly manifest emotion. In the minds of their creators, they raise fundamental questions about what it means to be human.
The drawings approach the subject from the perspective of that quintessential art-historical signifier of human specialness: the portrait. Employing the traditions of this genre–which were developed to highlight the uniqueness and psychological depth of the individual–these drawings depict the faces of a variety of “races” of androids, reflecting the international nature of their creation. The drawings also invest their subjects with a degree of dignity and emotional nuance previously reserved for human subjects, becoming in themselves metaphors for the larger issue of human uniqueness raised by the development of androids.
Image above: Claire Jervert with Bina48 at Streaming Museum event at ArtHelsinki 2016
(HK) HANSON ROBOTICS
BINA48 (2015), Claire Jervert. 8.5 x 6 inches. Conte on ingres paper . BINA48 was created by: Hanson Robotics, Houston Texas for Dr. Martine Rothblatt, Founder of the Terasem Movement, as a proof of concept that one day mindfile information about a person may be used to re-animate that person’s consciousness. You can start your free mindfile at www.LifeNaut.com Abilities include Face Recognition, Voice Recognition, Facial Expressions, Head & Eye Movement, Motion Tracking, Internet Connectivity and Conversational ability. BINA48 is one of the worlds most advanced social robots based on a composite of information from several people including, Bina Aspen, co-founder of the Terasem Movement. She was created using video interview transcripts, laser scanning life mask technology, face recognition, artificial intelligence and voice recognition technologies. As an “ambassador” for the LifeNaut project, BINA48 is designed to be a social robot that can interact based on information, memories, values, and beliefs collected about an actual person. As such, BINA48 is an early demonstration of the Terasem Hypothesis, which states: 1) A conscious analog of a person may be created by combining sufficiently detailed data about the person (a mindfile) using future consciousness software (mindware). Curiosity about BINA48 and other robots continues to capture the imagination and inspiration of people around the world. She has been featured in the New York Times GQ Magazine, NPR and National Geographic Magazine since she “came to life” in 2010. Contact: Bruce Duncan, Terasem Movement Foundation, terasem@gmavt.net
Sophia 2015, by Claire Jervert
Sophia is a humanoid robot by Hanson Robotics.
Claire Jervert is a painter, conceptual and digital artist, and sculptor who creates works that signify technology and communication’s intersection with contemporary and future culture.
Jervert travels to robotics labs around the world to create her “Android Portraits” that capture the unusual sensation and vision of the future of humans and AI.
Dmitry Itskov (2015), Claire Jervert. 8.5 x 6.75. Conte on ingres paper
Dmitry Itskov is a Russian entrepreneur and billionaire and the founder of the 2045 Initiative, which aims to achieve cybernetic immortality by the year 2045. The 2045 Initiative is a nonprofit organization that develops a network and community of researchers in the field of life extension. It launched in February 2011 with the participation of Russian specialists in the field of neural interfaces, robotics, artificial organs and systems.
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The main goal of the 2045 Initiative is “to create technologies enabling the transfer of an individual’s personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality. We devote particular attention to enabling the fullest possible dialogue between the world’s major spiritual traditions, science and society”.
Open Letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon March 11, 2013 — We, scientists, public figures and business leaders from Russia, the USA, the UK, and Canada as well as participants of the Second International Global Future 2045 Congress (15-16 June 2013, New York) would like to bring to your attention a number of serious issues.
The world stands on the threshold of global change. Ecological, political, anthropological, economic and other crises are intensifying. Wars are waged, resources wasted senselessly, and the planet is being polluted. Society is experiencing a crisis of goals and values, while science and technology are providing unprecedented opportunity for advancement. National leaders remain focused on short-term internal stability, without paying sufficient attention to the opportunities for the future of civilization. READ MORE.
(JP) ISHIGURO LAB
Geminoid HI-1 (Hiroshi Ishiguro) (2015), Claire Jervert. 8 x 5.75 inches. Conte on Ingres paper . Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories were founded to encourage and promote studies based on original and unique ideas from Hiroshi Ishiguro, ATR Fellow, who has remarkable achievements on robotics. We have explored new information media based on humanlike robots that harmonize humans with information-environment beyond existing personal computers, while inquired “what is the essence of human beings?” Website.
Geminoid F (2015), Claire Jervert. 9 x 6 inches. Conte on ingres paper .
Der 1 (2014), Claire Jervert. 8.75 x 6 inches. Conte on ingres paper
(CN) BIT
BHR-4 (2014), Claire Jervert. 9 x 6 inches. Conte on ingres paper
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The BHR-4 is a departure from the others at the Beijing Institute of Technology, being a realistic android that wears human clothing. Based on one of the researchers, it has an animatronic face capable of expressing a variety of emotions on demand including surprise, fear, and happiness. As a result of all the moving parts in its face this robot has a total of 43 degrees of freedom. And unlike the Geminoids built in Japan, this android has a fully-actuated body, allowing it to stand up and perform tai chi exercises and plays ping pong, rallying more than 200 times without error. It can also participate in simple conversations.
(DK) Henrik Schärfe - GEMINOID-DK Project
Geminoid DK (2014), Claire Jervert. 8 x 6 inches. Conte on ingres paper . Henrik Schärfe is a Danish professor at Aalborg University. He directs Center for Computer-mediated Epistemology which is part of Department of Communication at Aalborg University.
He was further known through the Hiroshi Ishiguro-inspired and Kokoro-built robot Geminoid-DK, which resembled Schärfe itself. The Geminoid-DK project got him on Time‘s top 100 list of the most influential people in 2012.
CLAIRE JERVERT
Claire Jervert is a visual artist and curator whose work examines the interrelationship between media, communication and technology. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and internationally, including the Flag Art Foundation, School of Visual Arts, Steffany Martz Gallery, La Paternal, Argentina, White Columns and on urban screens in Melbourne, Milan and Dubai. She has received awards from the MidAtlantic Arts Foundation, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Bronx Museum. Her work is included in the Sprint, AG Rosen, SEI, and the West Foundation art collections. Reviews include the New York Times, The New Yorker, Frieze and Time Out New York, among others. She is a member of the Stevens Institute of Technology Advisory Committee on Art and Technology.