Abstract (Poster)

Keywords: Figurative Sculpture, Puppetry, Robotics, Uncanny, Lifelikeness, Presence, Human Condition.

This poster presentation displays visual documentation of my practice-research investigations into the forms and materials that evoke the uncanny with the illusion of presence. I found that such uncanny experiences of presence are evoked by objects that are human in form and proportions, by objects that are placed within a narrative structure, by objects that move autonomously, and by objects whose motion is responsive to the viewer. I also argue that uncanny experiences are an important subset of aesthetic experiences because such experiences challenge us to face our fears and deep-rooted assumptions, thus forcing us to question our presumptions about what it means to be human. The question that informs my practice is: what elements push an object toward forming a seemingly sentient identity? This question is addressed through theoretical investigations, through experimentation within studio practice, and through observations of the artwork and its viewers. The culmination of this study is a series of human-sized uncanny objects (which I describe as sculptural puppets or minimal robots) that disrupt our perception of lifelikeness.

• Ana Jofre, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada. Ana Jofre received her PhD in Physics from the University of Toronto, did Post-doctoral work at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in Gaithersburg MD, and taught -and did research – at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte for six years before transitioning her career towards the arts. She then completed her MFA at OCAD University in Toronto. Her publications and conference presentations cover a wide range of intellectual interests, from physics to critical theory, and she has exhibited her artwork extensively. Her creative and research interests include figurative sculpture, the aesthetics of camp and of the uncanny, public pedagogy, human-computer interaction, and data visualization. She is currently employed as a post-doctoral fellow in the data visualization lab at OCAD University in Toronto, and will be, as of fall 2017, faculty at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica NY. onewomancaravan.net

Full text (PDF) p. 909-911