PRESS: Mustekala [February 28, 2019] – Memory Machines at Helsinki Central Library

Link: http://mustekala.info/kritiikit/kun-kirjasto-lukee-meita/

SAMIR BHOWMIK (FINLAND)

Samir Bhowmik, b. 1975, India (FINLAND) is a multi-disciplinary Finnish artist and architect. His current work examines the architectural, infrastructural and energetic entanglements of cultural memory and the environment. Using multi-sensorial methods to investigate infrastructure, he attempts to generate poetic vignettes between the clashing of multiple materialities, networks and bodies. Through performance installations, Samir often creates participatory narratives, and immersive performances that act as probes within which the imaginaries of hidden, contested and lost topographies unfold.

Samir graduated as a Doctor of Arts from the Aalto University, Finland, and holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland, United States. Licensed in the Sate of Maryland, he is also an Architect member of the American Institute of Architects.

Samir’s current artistic research project “IMAGINARY NATURES: Extractive Media & the Cultural Memory of Environmental Change” is funded by the Kone Foundation (2019-22): Imaginary Natures on Kone Boldness Blog: https://koneensaatio.fi/en/imaginary-natures/. Samir currently teaches at the Department of Media, Aalto School of Arts, Design & Architecture as well as advises Master of Arts students. Drawing from his research, writing and teaching, his latest infrastructural performance art project ‘Memory Machines’ opened at the Helsinki Central Library in January 2019, as part of the Library’s Other Intelligences project organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute of New York.

Samir’s recent interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI), its materialities and infrastructures has led to an AI artwork ‘Panic Breeder’ with artist J. Hautamäki. Panic Breeder examines the environmental impacts of Machine Learning & AI. It was originally exhibited at the Aalto AI Exhibition (2019), and now opens 15 November, 2020 in a group exhibition DEEP FAKE at the SUPERCOLLIDER Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

INVITED TALKS [2011-2019]

-Aalto ARTS Building Design Studio, 12 February 2019: Invited Lecture: From Architecture to Infrastructure: The Design of the New Museum.
-Aalto HELDIG (Helsinki Centre for Digital Humanities) Seminar, 6 February 2019: Invited Talk: Grooves to Bits: The Energetic Materialities of Sound Archives.
-University of the Arts Helsinki, 25 April, 2018: Invited Talk: 'The Battery is the Message.'
-Swedish Historical Society (Mickwitz Seminar), Finland, 9 February, 2017: Invited Talk - ‘The Materiality of Digital Heritage.’
-Turku Museum Center (Turunmuseokeskus) Finland, 24 November 2015: Invited Talk about Media Strategies for Cultural Heritage.
-National Board of Antiquities (Museovirasto) Finland, Teemapäivät 2014, 11 -12 September 2014 : Invited talk and Presentation of ‘Haloo Akseli’ project at Gallen-Kallela Museum.
-MuseumNext Conference 2014 Newcastle-Gateshead, UK 18 -20 June, 2014: Invited talk and presentation about 'Light is History' Project in Helsinki.
-NODEM (Nordic Digital Excellence in Museums) Conference 1 - 3 Dec, 2013 Stockholm Sweden. Invited Talk & Presentation: 'Building Sustainable Practices for Museums'
-Digital Heritage International Congress 2013, 28 Oct - 1 Nov. 2013 Marseille, France. Presented ‘The Parametric Museum: : Integrating a Museum’s Building Information Model with its Digital Collections.’
-Inclusive Museum Conference 2013, 22 - 24 April. 2013 Copenhagen, Denmark: Paper presentation: 'Light is History: A Community Participated Museum Installation in Helsinki Finland'
-Modern Identities Conference: Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland 2012 12 October. Presented: 'The Post-Oil Museum: Building a Sustainable Framework for Heritage Institutions and their User Communities'
-Ecomuseums Conference 2012 19 – 21 September, Seixal, Portugal: Presented 'Museums by Communities: Exploration of a New Digital and Spatial Framework for Intangible Cultural Heritage'
-Trans-disciplinary Arts, Ethnography and Cultural Heritage Workshop 24 - 26 May 2012, Aizpute, Latvia: Organized a 2 hour community participated museum (Museum_2) for a local weavers association.
-Talking Trash(lab) Workshop + Lecture Series(Supported by Aalto Media Factory): Organizer in collaboration with Pixelache / Pixelversity Helsinki and Karthikeya Acharya ( Department of Design). Topics related to recycling and reusing digital and technological trash and transforming them into art.
-ESF-LiU Conference: Re-Visiting The Contact Zone: Museums, Theory, Practice, 17 - 21 July 2011. Linköping, Sweden: Presented 'Post-Oil Museum: Imagining Museums Beyond Oil'

PUBLICATIONS [2013-2019]

2019 Samir Bhowmik and J. Parikka, “Memory Machines: Infrastructural Performance as an Art Method,” Leonardo, MIT Press (Forthcoming).
2019 Samir Bhowmik and J. Parikka, “Infrascapes for Media Archaeographers,” in Archaeographies:Aspects of Radical Media Archaeology, eds. Moritz Hiller & Stefan Höltgen, Schwabe Verlag, Berlin.
2019 Samir Bhowmik, “Thermocultures of Memory,” Culture Machine, Vol. 17, 2019.
2019 Samir Bhowmik, “The Battery is the Message,” Communication + 1 Journal, Vol. 7 (2), 2019. 2016 Samir Bhowmik, Deep Time of the Museum / The Materiality of Media Infrastructures,
Doctoral Thesis, Aalto University Books.
2016 Samir Bhowmik and L. Diaz, “Hot Stones and Cool Digitals,” International Journal of
Intangible Cultural Heritage, vol.11. 2016: 162-171.
2013 Samir Bhowmik, K.Acharya, & L. Diaz, “Light is History: A Community Participated Museum
Installation in Helsinki.” The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum 6-1:145-157.