The usual nexus
Siedl/Cao
2018
Artist Statement
“The usual nexus” is set in an experimental laboratory situation in a not too far away future. It conjures up a scenario where human beings serve their own creation – Artificial Intelligence (AI). Humans’ aim to overcome their deficiencies, such as imprecision, fallibility and time-inefficiency, has resulted in the replacement of human labour by blue-and-white collar machines. “The usual nexus” questions the roles and the feeling of human beings within a machine-like or machine-running system created by themselves, the very definition of work and work ethic, of having or losing control, of being disconnected or connected – hence the name “nexus”. "The usual nexus" has been performed 9 times in Japan in 2018. For the online exhibition, we reckon the short version of the documentation would be more suitable, but the full version is always at our disposal.
Experiencing Japanese concept of “ma” and Japanese minimalism in person in two visits has strongly changed how we look at and conceive our artworks. “The usual nexus” embodies these changes in its subject, its visual appearance, its spacing of sound and performance materials, its aesthetics. “The usual nexus” is a fruit of our memories and fascination from a Japan of advanced technology, robot development, and artificial intelligence; from a society of extremes: nature & artificiality, advanced technology vs. traditional values & aesthetics, being hyper connected by technology and at the same time feeling lonely/disconnected, being fully in control while losing control.
Artist Bio
Siedl/Cao is a Vienna-based composer-performer and sound artist group. They work in the field of contemporary electronic and instrumental music, music theatre and sound art. They are Cao Thanh Lan from Vietnam and Gregor Siedl from Austria. Siedl/Cao is one of 5 groups from Austria that received the award New Austrian Sound of Music 2018-2020 in the category Contemporary Music. With their recent transdisciplinary and sound art works, many of which incorporate site-specific sound installations and audience participation, they research into the relationship and balance between visual and audio elements, intentionality and un-intentionality, nature and artificiality, human and machine.