Evolution in the Garden of Machines Evolution in the Garden of Machines

Gusz Eiben, professor of Evolutionary Robotics, Arjen Mulder, biologist and media critic, author of Wat is Leven and Sascha Pohflepp, artist-researcher and co-editor of Synthetic Aesthetics each gave a lecture in which they discussed the interaction between technology and evolution.

The ensuing debate revolved around the question of the influence of designers, companies and governments on evolution as a whole. Evolution also included technological development. Can that process be overseen? Can it be controlled? Can designers, companies and culture influence this process?

Through the development and use of technology, humans have evolutionarily become the most successful and dominant species on earth. It has caused humankind to increasingly organise the world in both a large and small-scale manner. In so doing, humanity has become the driving force of geological and biological changes. This new stage in the history of the Earth is indicated with the term Anthropocene. Not only have people dramatically accelerated their own evolution, but many think they can also control this process. However, the interactions between technological, biological and cultural factors can lead to unpredictable effects and inextricable complex relationships, which undermines the possibility of management and control.

• Prof. Dr A. E. Gusz Eiben researches world-leading evolutionary robotics at the VU Amsterdam. His goal is to make robots that can reproduce themselves, evolve and thus acquire new properties independent from humans.
• Sascha Pohflepp is an artist, designer and writer, and a fellow at Het Nieuwe Instituut. He wrote an essay about 'living' machines for the publication Synthetic Aesthetics, published recently by MIT Press. In the context of Garden of Machines, he co-authored the essay Life's Artefacts (in the Ten-Thousand-year Garden), together with Arjen Mulder
• Arjen Mulder is a biologist, media theorist and writer. His field of interest is the interaction between technology and culture. His latest book revolves around the question; What is life?

Prior to the programme you can already meet a number of robots from our exhibition Garden of Machines in the foyer of Het Nieuwe Instituut. On display will be:

• A4 Robots (2010-2012) - Edwin Dertien
• Prototype for a new BioMachines (2012) - Ivan Henriques
• Zebro six legged robot (2010) - TU Delf Robotics Institute

After the evening we offered the opportunity to print the essay Life's Artefacts (in the Ten-Thousand-year Garden) by Sascha Pohflepp and Arjen Mulder at our in-house publisher Publication Studio and take this special edition home for a small fee. Publication Studio Rotterdam is the newest studio in an international network that designs, prints, binds, publishes and sells special books together with artists and writers all over the world.