Experiments in
Art and Technology

in partnership with
Nokia Bell Labs

The partnership between NEW INC and Nokia Bell Labs’ Experiments in Art Technology (E.A.T.) program fosters collaborative projects that engage newly emerging technologies such as robots, machine learning, and biometrics. The partnership has supported a residency and commissioning program, and also our Year 6 E.A.T. Track offered in partnership with Rhizome.

The E.A.T. Residency engages three artists from the NEW INC community to work in residence at the storied Bell Labs campus in New Jersey. Selected artists work with Bell Labs engineers over the course of a year, and at the conclusion present a prototype for an artwork that merges their artistic practice with an area of scientific research being explored at Bell Labs. The resulting projects may be showcased in non-traditional arts venues, with a goal to explore platforms beyond the museum gallery.

At the conclusion of the first year of the partnership in 2018, all three resident artists were commissioned to develop an original artwork based on their prototype. The three commissions were presented at "Only Human," an exhibition at Mana Contemporary — Here’s a video reflecting on the Year 1 residency. Additionally, Lisa Park's Blooming, which was developed as part of the Year 1 residency, was exhibited as an official selection of the 2019 SXSW Art Program.

In 2021, we presented Secret Garden, a new immersive experience by Stephanie Dinkins, commissioned by Nokia Bell Labs her E.A.T. residency, and also Further Experiments an online exhibition created by Rhizome and featuring creative work developed by our Year 6 E.A.T. Track members, presented by New Museum’s First Look program.

YEAR 2 RESIDENTS

Featured

Fei Liu 刘斐

Fei Liu 刘斐 is a New York-based Chinese designer, artist, writer, and DJ exploring digital empathy and the narrative potential of interfaces.

She is an adjunct professor at Parsons MFA Design and Technology and previously a Researcher in Residence at NEW INC, and a Digital Solitude fellow at Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany.

Stephanie Dinkins

Stephanie Dinkins is a transdisciplinary artist interested in creating platforms for ongoing dialog about artificial intelligence as it intersects race, gender, aging, and our future histories.

Her art employs lens-based practices, and the manipulation of space and technology to grapple with notions of consciousness, agency, perception, and social equity. Her work has been exhibited at a broad spectrum of public, private, and institutional venues by design. These include Institute of Contemporary Art Dunaujvaros, Herning Kunstmuseum, Spellman College Museum of Fine Art, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Wave Hill, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Yago de Quay

Yago de Quay is an award-winning artist and researcher who has spent the last eight years conducting scientific research in the fields of digital media at the University of Texas at Austin and University of Porto, resulting in ten articles, one book, and over one dozen talks.

A recipient of five international grants to produce technology-driven shows and interactive installations, de Quay’s interactive shows were recognized with ten awards and honors, twenty gallery exhibitions, TV and radio appearances, and press mentions.

YEAR 1 RESIDENTS

Sougwen Chung

Sougwen Chung’s artistic practice spans installation, sculpture, still image, drawing, and performance. Her ongoing collaborations with a drawing robot explore the difference between handmade and machine-made marks to understand the interaction between humans and computers.

Lisa Park

Lisa Park is a performance artist who strives to create intimate environments and experiences that trigger emotional states and meditative reflections in viewers. She has explored themes of vulnerability, self-control, and confrontation by integrating biometric sensors into her work.

HAMMERSTEP

HAMMERSTEP is a collective that uses choreography, technology, and nontraditional audience engagement to tell new stories through theater and dance. They are currently developing an immersive theater production called Indigo Grey that invites the audience to become a part of the action.