PROTO (restaged)
Performance by sound artist Holly Herdon and collaborator Mat Dryhurst featuring their ‘A.I. baby’ Spawn presented on 6 December 2019.
On the occasion of Refik Anadol’s Latent Being exhibition, composer, musician, and sound artist Holly Herndon and her long-time collaborator Mat Dryhurst staged their album PROTO at Kraftwerk Berlin. It featured Spawn, their ‘A.I. baby’, interpreting and collaborating with a contemporary ensemble of vocalists.
The staging of PROTO within Kraftwerk Berlin’s vast space immersed the audience in Herndon’s unique take on the issue of technology and humanity – presenting AI, not as dehumanising but as an opportunity to appreciate and interact with human beauty through a fresh perspective.
Curated by Agnes Gryczkowska
‘Artificial intelligence doesn’t have context – much like a child. We’re encoding our values [within it].’
– Holly Herndon, The Guardian
Holly Herndon
Holly Herndon (b. 1980 in Johnson City, US) is a composer, musician, and sound artist based in Berlin. Her music is primarily computer-based and often uses the visual programming language Max/MSP to create custom instruments and vocal processes. Since her arrival in Berlin in 2012, Herndon has successfully mined the edges of electronic and Avant Garde pop and emerged with a dynamic and disruptive canon of her own, all while studying for her PhD at Stanford University, researching machine learning and music.
Mathew Dryhurst is an artist and researcher based in Berlin. His research focuses on technical and ethical protocols. He makes music and creates art with Holly Herndon. Their albums PROTO and Platform (4AD) have provoked international critical acclaim. He teaches at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Strelka Institute and European Graduate School. He previously served as Director of Programming at Gray Area in San Francisco.
Related Events
01Credits
Holly Herndon: PROTO (restaged)
Performance
6 December 2019
© 2019 Holly Herndon
Commissioned by LAS