In Towards a New Theory of Creativity artist Floris Schönfeld, cognitive psychologist Bruno Bocanegra and artist Miša Skalskis join their expertise in a public experiment. By participating in this experiment you get to meet a new inhabitant of the Amsterdamse Bos. Here dwells PUK*, a slightly schizophrenic artificial intelligence. Since she lacks a stabile self-image, PUK*’s underlying system is creative, and she learns about her environment by interacting with people. PUK* is constantly trying to find new ways to see and shape herself. Participating in Towards a New Theory of Creativity enables you to meet and communicate with PUK* and become part of her learning process, thus contributing to Schönfeld and Bocanegra’s research. Who knows, you might even discover a new way of creative thinking.
Schönfeld and Bocanegra explore creativity from a cognitive as well as an artistic perspective. By developing a new form of artificial intelligence characterized by the irrational and unreasonable they are looking for alternative forms of creative thinking. In this process, they approach conditions like schizophrenia, depression or mania not just as pathological afflictions, but also as valuable strategies to shed new light on creative processes.
As a visual artist, Floris Schönfeld (1982) has a focus on the relationship between fiction and belief. Schönfeld has recently exhibited his works in group shows and screenings at the Amsterdam Film Biennale, the Rencontre Internationales in Paris, the Shanghai Biennale and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Bruno Bocanegra (1982) is currently assistant professor at the Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands. He completed his PhD in cognitive neuroscience (cum laude) in 2011 on the topic of emotional modulations in visual perception at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. His recent work focuses on the role of emotion in scientific discovery, the relationship between affective bipolarity and creativity, and the epistemic strategies of bipolar patients.
This work can be visited at location 4 on the map, between June 29 and 2.
Sign up for a meeting with PUK*: info@curepark.nl or at Care Center.
Call for participation: meet PUK*
During Cure Park visitors get the chance to meet PUK* in person. By communicating with her you will be part of her learning process and contribute to the research of Schönfeld and Bocanegra. How does it feel to see the world in a completely different way. What can you learn about your own creativity and the way you see yourself from this new kind of intelligence? Who knows, you might even discover a new way of creative thinking.
You don’t need any specific technical knowledge to take part in this experiment.
The experiment will take 15 minutes per person and can be done by one person at a time.
Participants can sign up for the following time slots by emailing info@curepark.nl. You will get a reply with the time of your meeting with PUK*.
Thursday June 29; session I 1.30 pm, session II 4.30 pm
Friday June 30; session I 1.30 pm, session II 4.30 pm
Saturday July 1; session I 12 pm, session II 3 pm, session III 6 pm
Sunday July 2; session I 12 pm, session II 3 pm, session III 6 pm
with: Emma Pelckmans, Demelza Watts
concept development: Bruno Bocanegra, Miša Skalskis and Floris Schönfeld
programming: Miša Skalskis
video documentation: John Treffer
photo documentation: Roel Backaert
technical assistance: André Avelãs
with special thanks to the technical staff of the Rijksakademie
