From Human Limits to Human Limits: An Exploration of the Post-Human Era

art and design

"Regardless of whether the body is interfered with or not, the various new modes of subjectivity emerging in the fields of cognitive science and artificial life necessarily contain a biologically-remaining 'Homo sapiens' (Homo sapiens) that can be called post-human. ). It is the construction/idea of ​​subjectivity, not the existence of abiotic components, that has to do with these quintessential features." - Since the publication of Katherine Hayles' How We Became Posthuman, In the past 30 years, the term "post-human" has gradually entered the relevant professional fields and the life of the general public, and has also been mentioned and discussed by more and more people. It seems that with the advent of the 21st century, people officially meet. Questions about the "Post-Human Era".

According to Neil Badmington's research, the term "post-human" first appeared in the theory of human evolution of the Russian occultist HP Blavatsky at the end of the nineteenth century, but it was soon not mentioned. . And "posthumanism" derived from "posthumanism" has become a new concept in the Western post-study thought trend in the 20th century, which can be regarded as a reflection on issues such as humanism, deconstruction, and media theory. In 1976, the American critic Ihab Hassan put it: "We must first understand that the human form - including human desire and all its external symbols - may be changing radically and must therefore be revisited. We It has to be understood that five hundred years of humanism may be coming to an end, that humanism is evolving into something we hopelessly call posthumanism.”

> "Earth Wired" Planetary biogeochemical feedback loops catalyzed by microbial metabolism. Through an intimate breathing process, humans are bound to Earth, immersed in the internal flow of communicating and negotiating relationships. But what happens when these connections are mediated by technology? How will we breathe? Who or what will assign the dose? What will the dose contain? Who will survive? How will we grieve?

The emergence of posthumanism can be seen as the product of the rapid development of interdisciplinary and high-tech. In the 1980s and 1990s, researchers' redefinition of information can be traced back to the development of artificial intelligence such as AlphaGo. Due to these technological developments, human beings have undergone tremendous changes from individual to society. At the crossroads of the "Human Era", people fell into contemplation, what will the future be like? American scholar Cary Wolfe (Cary Wolfe) in her "What is posthumanism? The book sorts out the thread of this thought, proposing the predicament of human development and the infinite possibilities of the future. These seemingly novel concepts are actually closely related to our lives. The recent exhibition of the Musée du Human de la Natural History in France can respond to the above concepts. The exhibition with the theme of "Human Boundaries" opens up the possibility of exploring the future of human beings and the earth. topic. The exhibition asks people through works: Who are we, where do we come from, and where are we going? How far can artificial intelligence, mechanical technology, physical training and genetic mutation help humans go? What efforts have mankind made for immortality? Are we destroying the planet and jeopardizing our future in the name of progress? In the face of these realities that have developed so far, what kind of future will we usher in?

"I am a special animal" - the boundary between humans and animals?

> This is a hybrid device that uses chemical and physical reactions to control its behavior and sound synthesis. The device consists of a main control unit and three balancing robots. The main control unit has three core systems where reactions take place, everything is analyzed by computer algorithms using cameras. It creates a new, more complex system as they interact with each other through the robot's movements and main algorithms.

Where is the line between humans and animals? We all have a consensus that human beings are higher animals and are superior to other animals. However, is this really the case? What distinguishes humans from animals? Is it walking upright? Or the use of tools? But these seem to chimpanzees can do a bit, just a little rudimentary. Discussions about this boundary have always been thought about: in the exhibition, British artist Marcus Coates' "Interesting Family" replaces the human image with the head of an animal, forming a "family" that makes people feel A strong sense of paradox; the documentary "Amazing Ability" tells about the amazing collaborative ability, mental projection or language learning ability of many different animals. These skills are not inferior to human beings at all. People re-examine the boundaries between humans and animals, Those perceived advantages of humans do not seem to be unique. These works have shattered our inherent concepts, just like Darwin's "Origin of Species" published in 1859 after the great shock brought by the theory of evolution to people, in less than two hundred years, researchers' continuous efforts and gradual improvement of disciplinary research have made this The lines are blurring more and more, and it also makes us think further about the phrase "I am a special animal". In Darwin's later work "The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals", he proposed that the intelligence of animals and humans differs only in degree rather than in nature: "Even the least complex animals are as capable of feeling pleasure and pain as human beings. , misfortune, etc." People began to speak out for animals, crack down on animal cruelty, prohibit animal performances, punish abandoned pets, etc. Some legal provisions gradually appeared, and these concerns and appeals also echoed the thinking of human "boundaries", let us renew Think and redefine the relationship between humans and animals.

"I am the winner" - human limit breakthrough in sports

> "Laser Mouse" is a robotic swarm installation consisting of 60 small robots inspired by the synchronized behavior of insects such as fireflies. Normally, swarm networks are imperceptible, but in this case, the robot created a visible network through laser-photodetector communication. As a result, they generate an ever-changing rhythm. This rhythm is sent by a solenoid that hits the floor. The combination of visible network and audible rhythm is deployed spatially. It questions whether it is possible to make something man-made look like a natural phenomenon.

Regardless of the boundaries between humans and animals, it is undeniable that human beings have never stopped on the road of constantly breaking through and evolving. Especially in sports, it can witness the efforts of human beings to pursue their own limits. Zinedine Zidane is a famous French football player, and the exhibition uses his wax figure to evoke the enthusiasm of the audience for the sportsman. The extreme training of the world champions headed by him in physical and mental quality continues to make them break through known functions. A double-sided mirror installation in the exhibition can see the difference between sports athletes and ordinary people. The installation will be Teddy Reina. , Melana, Marie-Amelie Le Fu (Teddy Riner\Melanie De Jesus dos Santos\Marie-Amelie Le Fu), the three judo, gymnastics and disabled athletes' bodies were compared and observed with the audience's bodies, and then combined Their special training, can't help but sigh that the limits of human beings are so wonderful, they are talented, and at the same time sprint hard. Just like the slogan of the Olympic Games, "Faster, Higher, Stronger", with our efforts, human beings continue to set new records. However, if humans are compared to animals in nature, our champions are far inferior to animals. At this point, the creativity brought about by science and technology is shown. Science and technology promotes human beings to explore their own limits. Humans have invented special equipment to assist them, allowing human beings to break through the shackles of natural forms, just like those exhibited in the exhibition are more Like lightweight materials, shark-like swimsuits, and well-designed shoes, advances in science and technology continue to contribute to the breakthrough of human physical limits.

"I am a cyberhuman" - the limit breakthrough of the human body

> In our daily lives, we rarely realize that most of the plants and animals we see around us are still genetically modified with our own hands. In Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868), it was common to transform plants and flowers such as cherry blossoms in pursuit of a more beautiful green. Silkworms, along with the development of clothing materials, are another subject of genetic modification. Today, science and technology allow us to control our genes with extreme precision, which in turn requires us to have a higher sense of morality.

If the above limit breakthrough is still within the basic scope of one's own physical performance, then the creation of pacemakers, artificial limbs for disabled athletes, external bones to improve mobility, and bionic hands have allowed people to step out of nature. The body, officially entered the exploration of cyber humans. Korean artist Lee Bul's futuristic female cyborg has only one limb, and the artist sees cyborg as a metaphor for the attraction and repulsion of current advanced technology. In the futuristic atmosphere, we feel as if we are in the setting of the 1972 novel Cyborg, written by Martin Keating. Prosthetic limbs, exoskeletons, implants, interfacing with human beings, in many forms. These "cyber humans" were originally developed from the medical and military level, and then gradually developed into sports, fashion, art and other fields, and were expanded and used. In the "Cyberhuman" section, we can see the performance art of Lukas Zpira, who implanted objects, pierced, and created futuristic tattoos in his body. The exhibition "Words of the Body" " is his practice of "cyber human" works of art.

"I'm a Mutant" - The Two Sides of Gene Technology

>! brute_force ， Maja Smrekar (SI)

Haruki Murakami once wrote in his "1Q84" that "at its root, human beings are nothing but a carrier for carrying genes and a channel for expressing functions. Genes are the source of the growth of all things in nature." Genes determine human performance. The code is deciphered by humans, and the transformation begins. From prenatal and postnatal care to the pursuit of "perfect genes", the development of biotechnology has brought many scientific and technological ethical issues, and the safety, reliability and future impact of these genetic engineering needs to be cautious. In the interactive game of "custom baby" in the exhibition, we can select the characteristics, eliminate the inferior embryos, and finally modify the genes. In the game, we can see that by modifying the genes, the children can have the ability of other species, like the bat's Echolocation, noctilucent properties of plankton, etc. However, such modifications can also lead to new changes in humans and society, such as the permanent disappearance of certain characteristics, gender imbalance, and so on. According to a report in 2016, 76% of the French were against genetic modification, and the United States later introduced relevant regulations. Biotechnology and genetic modification are like Pandora's box. Before opening it, we need to discuss it on an ethical level. With the rapid development of science and technology, morality is also seeking new development between adaptation and resistance. The emergence of bioethics in the 1960s and 1970s is a product of this context, and bioethics is constantly speculating in the game of genetics, biotechnology, social vision and human ethics.

"I Am Eternal" - Technology Makes Eternal Life Possible

Technology allows humans to continuously break through the limits. Does that mean that we are not far from immortality? Human history is a history of the fight against death, from extremely low infant survival rates to increasingly long lifespans, and death goes hand in hand on the road of human development, as Philippe Pasqua's The As in Void Still Life with Butterflies, the expression and allegorical expression of death has always been there, but the beautiful blue butterfly and silver foil contrast with the theme. The ultimate transcendence of human beings and the desire for immortality have become a powerful driving force. From the 3-meter-long animated interactive wall in the exhibition, we can visualize human beings through various data and icons. Differences and Changes in Lifespan. Freezing technology makes human immortality possible, and there are already corresponding companies in Russia and the United States to develop this business. In addition to prolonging lifespan, cryotechnology could also address disease and aging problems. Ray Kurzweil, one of the pioneers of species modification engineering, in the context of cryotechnology, proposed brain uploading as one of the methods of immortality proposed by posthumanists: "In thirty years, humans will be able to Download it to a computer and become an immortal number... All of a person's personality, memories, talents and past may be re-implanted in robots, or even stored in the cloud." It seems that immortality is not far away from us.

"The road to the future" - coexisting and developing with technology

> Goto's work "Crossing" originated from questioning what "movement" means. The artist focuses on the concept of time closely related to movement, trying to use movement to create a visual representation of time. Using this technique, the artist looks at time, the meaning of movements and their

The relationship between. At first glance, the piece appears to be just a piece of mesh material, but by casting light through the slits, it reproduces the movement of people walking. They are people photographed at the intersection of the various countries the artist has visited and vary in age, gender and ethnicity. When they were reorganized into a timeline, this diverse group of people formed a kind of community moving towards a certain goal,

On the other hand, what has mankind brought to the world by constantly pushing the limits? Clearly not sustainable shared prosperity. 187 species have gone extinct and 2,400 are threatened with extinction since records began in 2008, according to newly released figures for this year's World Wildlife Day. Human activities have long caused the imbalance of the earth's ecology, and the rapid development since the post-human era has sharply exacerbated these imbalances, and even brought the possibility of the end of the world. From the above-mentioned exploration and breakthrough of boundaries and limits, human beings have reached a very deep level. These exploration and breakthroughs are actually double-edged swords, and pessimism about the future may be transformed into new revelation or hope. What kind of hope can artificial intelligence, biotechnology, mechanical implantation and other technologies bring to the future of mankind? The works in the exhibition are quite instructive: we see Slovenian artist Maja Smrekar's artificial neural network algorithm that co-programs pet dogs with artificial intelligence to challenge the dilemma of post-humanism, conveying biological depths of great depth. Information; in the "symbiotic community", a hydroponic ecosystem can be seen, in which clover and rhizobia coexist with each other, quietly processing indoor air, while also coordinating with other species in the closed loop ; Another example is the "Transformed Paradise" created by Japan's AnotherFarm studio. They modified silkworms with the genes of luminous jellyfish and corals to create "fluorescent silk" and make clothes; and use artificial intelligence and natural intelligence to understand plants life and so on. As Ross Bradotti puts it: "The relational capacity of the post-human subject is not limited to us humans, but includes all non-anthropomorphic elements."

It's not over, all discussions continue. From the limit of human beings to the limit of human beings, we can see the drastic changes of the earth. All the inventions and creations of technology and art are for a better life, and the same is true for all the above-mentioned explorations. We hope to go further together. In the post-human era, not towards destruction, but to move forward in more sustainable development and coexistence. This is the limit of human beings. Just like the sculptural installation of Samuel Yell in the exhibition, the images of fragments are all aspects of human civilization and technological culture, a collection of human cultural structures. Like the future of mankind, it is also in the breakthrough of various boundaries and limits, slowly gathering, exploring and moving forward.

Text / Chen Ye Chen Ye

Photo / French National Museum of Natural History Museum of Humanity

National Museum of Natural History