Umwelt: Non-Human Intelligences Exhibition in Modena

Curated by Marco Mancuso, the exhibition 'Umwelt' at Fondazione AGO in Modena explores non-human cognitive forms through art, technology, and science. The term 'Umwelt', coined by biologist Jakob von Uexküll, refers to the subjective environment perceived by each organism. Mancuso, who holds a chemistry degree, emphasizes this is not a digital art show but an investigation into the relationship between art, technology, and science. The exhibition features works that combine digital and physical outputs, including an immersive environment on the Adriatic Sea's changing conditions using 3D sculptures of an endangered bivalve mollusk. Anne Ridler's 'The Synthetic Iris Dataset' categorizes 150 iris flowers using three AIs, paired with her calligraphy. Eryk Salvaggio's video 'The Salt and the Women' depicts a pagan and cybernetic ritual connecting fungi and machines. Forensic Architecture's 'The Nebelivka Hypothesis' uses geophysical scanning and algorithms to reveal 6,000-year-old settlements in Ukraine, challenging Neolithic urban planning. James Bridle's research shows that etching radiolarian forms onto solar panels increases energy efficiency. The duo Semiconductor spent time at CERN in Geneva, capturing antiparticle trajectories on photographic plates with a high-resolution microscope, translating physical phenomena into art. The exhibition demonstrates how contemporary artists can mediate understanding of complex, invisible phenomena and 'more-than-human' intelligences.