There are (and perhaps always have been) two philosophical currents that orbit the cult of “efficiency” of human qualities through any technology that can be integrated into human behavior, physiology and anatomy; these philosophical currents are known as Transhumanism and Posthumanism. Although both share the hypothetical notion that humanity can move towards a technocratic ideal (almost utopian), their differences lie in the temporal distance between them and, consequently, in the cultural variables that will derive from them; transhumanism is a juncture where organic limitations are forded and synthetic elements that modify the psychological, morphological, physiological, hormonal, biomechanical and genetic characteristics of our species through the use of tools such as genetic engineering and CRISPR cas9 are brought together, bionic engineering and electronic prostheses linked to neurological structures and the symbiotic integration of artificial intelligence in biomedical technologies for interoperability and data decentralization or the internet in nanotechnologies for surgical use, to mention a few general examples, resulting in the possibilities of conceiving, observing and being human without degenerative conditions in cells from birth, possessing more physical strength and endurance, increasing cognitive capacities, extending life expectancy and (perhaps) designing an almost absolute immunity to the onslaught of the most lacerating microorganisms. While this may seem like science fiction, it is not; humanity has always sought its transformation, creating a synthetic world in which tools redesign life in both its utilitarian and hedonistic aspects (from peg legs and glasses to tattoos, root canals, condoms, Viagra and plastic surgery), and these tools have modified the body and with it habits, behaviors and even the conception of what is possible; and it is transhumanism (that human ideal of transition towards something more, or better, -if such a thing exists? -) that leads us to suppose the existence of posthumanism, which is a hypothetical assumption that possesses an amorphous quality because it happens beyond what is known by the history of civilization, for what could exist after or beyond the human transformation? Lo-Posthuman, perhaps… But what does this mean? Will biological, physiological and genetic difference be exclusive only to those who can afford it, creating a cultural chasm between social strata? Will modifications beyond the conceivable make the mega-rich possess biological and adaptive advantages distinct from the rest? If so, hasn’t such a thing been recorded in the history of life on this planet, a species that, through cultural instruments (i.e. an intersubjective object with economic value), defines its adaptive stage outside the pressures of natural selection?
From this confluence of technological, physiological, genetic, political, psychological and even theological variables, there are more questions than answers, but it is in the fertile ground of questioning where new concepts, ideas, notions, emotions, politics, gods, sensations, perceptions and therefore new art can begin to be conceived. A speculative art.
With the Oglinda h+ project, I am in the initial stages of developing advanced prostheses for aesthetic uses and discourses, as well as conceptual designs of speculative art derived from technology integrated into human morphology, with which I seek new paths of artistic creation and research; What kind of art could be created with three arms? What kind of music will the deaf create if there is a cochlear implement that translates vibrations into rhythm? Would it be possible to transmit the electrical signals of the brain as digital information in a graphic interface and thus see the visual thoughts of the blind? The future is an endless question in which lies the will to shape it.
