Exhibition shows technology bringing people together

Original Article posted in December 12, 2018

The Science Gallery’s new exhibition, INTIMACY, launched on October 19th and it makes the public question all the distinct ways intimacy can be represented – is it only with physical contact or it is possible to display it using innovative forms of technology? Could intimacy be quantified with data over a computer or is it something only shared among humans?

Today’s society is surrounded by different ways of communication. Social media and mobile phones have deeply influenced the way people interact and connect to each other, for better or worse. However, there is a lot of speculation about the thin line that lies between human intimacy and the way technology is trying to replicate it. The exhibition’s main goal is to examine “the science and art of connection between humans, bringing together technology, neuroscience, art, behaviour, belief and trust”.

The visitor Daniel Twomey was drawn into the exhibition because it shows “emotion through aesthetics”. He defines intimacy as “showing vulnerability; showing your whole person to another whole person”. Clio Ryan, who works as a mediator in the gallery, thinks of intimacy as “closeness, either physical or emotional” and believes that technology does not lie in any of the extremes of communication – it “facilitates wider connections but it could have detrimental effects when it becomes the main way of connecting”.

At the very beginning of the exhibition, the visitors are invited to think about intimacy as something much more than the romantic or sexual ideal. The artwork Please Touch, by Marjolijn Zwakman and Circus Engelbregt, invites the question of how humans are connecting to each other – the visitor takes a “please touch” sticker to be placed on wherever the person would like to be touched by another person. Zwakman believes that “the fear of crossing a boundary is shutting down human contact”. For Martijn Engelbregt, from the Circus Engelbregt organisation, intimacy is discovering “the magic that is possible between two humans”.

More than examining how people can connect to each other on a different level, the exhibition also works on a way of humanising the way people perceive the world. The art piece Hugs, by Simon Menner, rapidly shifts the viewer’s perspective about human empathy. When the viewer looks at the pictures for the first time, they portray an intimate display of affection between two men – however, those photographies also represent the moment a suicide bomber is saying goodbye to a fellow friend before his mission. Hugs, among other artworks at the exhibition, looks for a way to humanise the way people are seen and interpreted.

Arthur Gouillart, the artist behind Emotion Capture, challenges the classic representation of love. In his art piece, love takes the form of a sculpture based on the motion of a tongue during a kiss. Mr Gouillart said he was inspired by the sense of awareness over his own feelings; he believes that “the definition of love is changing; it is a very vast concept.” He believes that using technology to quantify data about feelings can bring to a dehumanisation of the individual however; “technology helps people to communicate with each other and it could bring us together”.

The Science Gallery first opened in 2008. Since then, it brings exhibitions evolving around the balanced mix between art and technology. The gallery looks to expand the way art is viewed in modern times and it makes the visitors wonder how can technology impact the way society can create art.

The INTIMACY exhibition is free entry and is open until 24th February, running along with events and talks with the artists. For more information about INTIMACY or the events scheduled, visit the Science Gallery’s website: https://dublin.sciencegallery.com/