Stefan Larsson

Stefan Larsson (QNQ / AUJIK) was born in 1973 in Soderhamn, Sweden, and lives and works in Otsu, Japan. He studied MFA at Umea Academy of Fine Arts in Sweden.

Stefan is an award winning contemporary artist who received an honorary mention award (computer graphic/film/vfx) at the 2011 edition of Prix Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria and has been featured on events such as Ars Electronica animation festival 2011, OnedotZero 2011 & 2012, Japan Media Arts Festival 2011.

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In YUKI a robot tree and two children are interacting in a snowy landscape and it is hard to tell which one controls who and whether it is a game or a drill.
It is inspired by Ocean D. Howells pamphlet "in the playground of Technological Singularity."
Featuring music by Scottish electronica artist Christ.
"One sunny cloudy day" from Vernor Vinge EP

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Psychologist Silvan Tomkins Affect Theory;
In psychoanalysis an Affect is an emotion or subjectively experienced feeling.
The nine affects are: 1. Enjoyment/Joy 2. Interest/Excitement 3. Surprise/Startle 4. Anger/Rage 5. Disgust 6. Dissmell 7. Distress/Anguish 8. Fear/Terror 9. Shame/Humiliation.
This video consists of 9 individual characters which are crossbreeds of organic and synthetic elements.
Each character represent one of Tomkins Affects in no particular order.
They are bound together by different external expressions which also can be seen as a form of communication.
They are being observed by a dog named Sharik from whom the viewer see the perspective.
It is also inspired by the idea of the "wasp and the orchid" as described by Gillez Deleuze and Felix Guattari in the book " a thousand plateaus", and especially the concept of multiplicity and rhizome.
This video was commissioned by Japanese TV Station Space Shower as part of their Station ID project 2012.
It is also part of this years Athens Video Arts Festival and Oslo Screen Festival.
cnvs.jp/
spaceshowertv.com/
CGI, concept, design, filming, post production and editing by Stefan Larsson
q-n-q.com/
music by christ. - Pidgeon. (unreleased track) ©christ.
parallaxsounds.com/
facebook.com/christhyperact
thanks to Chris Horne and Takuya Koyama

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AUJIK is a new age group that shares Shintos belief that everything of nature is animated, even the things that we consider the most artificial and synthetic.

Just as with other forms of animism, AUJIK worships everything that comes out of nature and regard it as spiritual beings, the main difference with AUJIK is that science and technology is considered as sacred as stones and trees.

Melvin Lavell writes in his books Esoteric Perception of Artificial Intelligence and Ghost in the machine of sticks and stones that all sort of communicative technology since the first radio waves posses something metaphysical and spiritual and when it will reach a more sophisticated form more people will discover it and then it will reach a religious status.

The Shinto priest Hideaki spoke about similar things in the 1800:th century after he had seen a Karakuri doll( a clockwork robot made of wood) and claimed that in the future we will create mechanical characters that will become so superior to our own intelligence and ability's that we will subject oneself s as they were goods.

These thought was the fundament for AUJIKS doctrine and then later developed in to something that reminds of theological dualism were the original nature (trees, metals, organism etc)is considered esoteric chaos and the refined nature(computers, robots, DNA-manipulation etc) is considered esoteric order.

The resistance between those has during the years decreased and will one day converge in a pyramid shaped top that will fill the world with clarity and supreme truth.

By creating organic/synthetic artifacts AUJIK believe they will reach this level a lot faster than it is destined.


Music:
Mira Calix - Hiccup from the album Skimskitta.
Written and produced by Mira Calix.
©Warp music 2000.

Tools:
AutoDesk 3D Studio Max 2009
Vray 1.5 sp4
Real Flow 4
Syntheyes
After Effects
Premiere
Canon HV30
Merlin Steadicam

work and render time was about 5 months.
filmed in Shiga. Japan
Special thanks to Nashi K and Mira Calix.

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Boards of Canada - the Devil is in the Details from the album "Geogaddi".

The video is a paraphrase of Francis Bacon's crucifixion triptych.

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Moloch is a comment to future philosopher Christopher Markovich thoughts about primary nature(forest, plants etc) and secondary nature(computers, machines etc) and the distinction between them.
Markovich claims that the secondary nature will outnumber the primary because the primary's lack of adjustment.
The video features trees that evolved robotic extensions and it is unclear if they have a function or not.

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Promotion video for Irish artist Chequerboard.

The video features third incarnation AUJIK artifacts at an excursion at the Ishiyama dera in Japan.
the artifacts are superfluous products generated in the crossbreed of human and technical evolution.
They are in a state between resignation and euphoria,incapable of expressing themself.
the Ishiyama dera is a sacred Buddhist area and is most famous because of the novelist Murasaki Shikibu who wrote "The Tale of Genji"(the worlds first novel) there.
Also Ukiyo-E artist Ando Hiroshige portrayed Ishiyama dera in his "The Famous Views of 60-Odd Provinces".

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Cathexis is a collaboration with Scottish electronic musician christ. and a cognitive neuro-scientist at Stockholm's university.
The concept of the film is how Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) transcends with human emotions.
In the video several examples of this is manifested by an fictional esoteric group called AUJIK.
This project was funded by the Swedish art grants committee and Helge Ax:son Johnsons foundation.

All music by Christ.
Thanks to Christopher Horne. Petter Marklund, Kei Nashi, Ay Nasxie, Atsushi Tato, Kazuko Kohno, Anthony Merrill and Ernest Fenollosa

Cathexis is a progressive project and currently the film is 22 minutes and divided in to five clusters:

QUALIA: form, spatial, physics and metamorphosis.
AMYGDALA: the limbic system, neurosis, psychosis, anxiety.
LABRIDAE: gender, animus/anima-complex, hermaphroditism.
MURMURATION: computation, trajectory, patterns.
MANDALA: immersion, interaction, transcendence.

A Cathexis motion picture soundtrack was released on British record label Parallax sounds on October 15th 2012.

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As AR (Augmented Reality) is emerging, art will find new territories in the public space for those who are willing to see it. e.g. Graffiti paintings, which in most cases are considered an illegal act can be viewed in various environments without bothering people who don’t appreciate it.
This video presents nine dynamic paintings in three different contexts: Urban, Organic and Nature.

music by Christ - Odyssey 31 from the album "Distance Lends Enchantment to the View"
©Benbecula records.

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Animated robotic nature.
The music are made of cicada sounds.

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A guide named Nashi narrates the audience journey in an uncanny forest. Nashi states that everything is animated, and that even the things we consider synthetic and artificial are as sacred as plants and stones. She criticizes nature for its inability to develop and praises technology for its flexibility and proclaims that nature should adapt to technology in order to survive.

AUJIK are an new age group that shares Shintos belief that everything of nature is animated, even the things that we consider the most artificial and synthetic.

Just as with other forms of animism, AUJIK worships everything that comes out of nature and regard it as spiritual beings, the main difference with AUJIK is that science and technology is considered as sacred as stones and trees.

Melvin Lavell writes in his books Esoteric Perception of Artificial Intelligence and Ghost in the machine of sticks and stones that all sort of communicative technology since the first radio waves posses something metaphysical and spiritual and when it will reach a more sophisticated form more people will discover it and then it will reach a religious status.

The Shinto priest Hideaki spoke about similar things in the 1800:th century after he had seen a Karakuri doll( a clockwork robot made of wood) and claimed that in the future we will create mechanical characters that will become so superior to our own intelligence and ability's that we will subject oneself s as they were gods.

These thought was the fundament for AUJIKS doctrine and then later developed in to something that reminds of theological dualism were the original nature (trees, metals, organism etc)is considered esoteric chaos and the refined nature(computers, robots, DNA-manipulation etc) is considered esoteric order.

The resistance between those has during the years decreased and will one day converge in a pyramid shaped top that will fill the world with clarity and supreme truth.

By creating organic/synthetic artifacts AUJIK believe they will reach this level a lot faster than it is destined.

Music:
Mira Calix - Hiccup from the album Skimskitta.
Written and produced by Mira Calix.
©Warp music 2000.

'a Forest within a Forest' was part of Japan Media Arts Festival 2010(jury recommended work) and exhibited at Japan National Art Center, Tokyo 2011.

Also part of Ars Electronica Animation Festival 2011/2012 at Austrian Cultural Forum London
National Science Museum in Jemen. New Codes */ Athens Video Art Festival 2012. Perm/Russland at the Permm Museum. Mediathek Holon, Israel. World Music Festivals Dikaja Mjata. OHMI Trust at CBSO Centre in Berkley Street Birmingham. Le Cube Paris / Screening Marathon. Second Tehran Annual Digital Art Exhibition @ Mohsen Gallery, Sunset Janghang Festival, Seochon-gun, South Korea. Athens International Film Festival, Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park, Athen / Greece. Donumenta, Regensburg / Germany .CMoDA (China Millennium Monument Museum of Digital Arts) in the framework of Beijing Design Week 2012, China. Internationales Kulturfestival "Cervantino", Guanajuato, Mexico
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich)

CologneOFF international tour 2012/2013. Film form cinemateket Stockholm 2012. 58th int. film festival Oberhausen. Rotterdam int. film festival 2012. Cyberfest Saint Petersburg 2012. Digital Art Festival Taipei 2012. AND (Abandon Normal Devices)Group Exhibition. Mobile Republic: Digital Caravans. UK
Whitehaven, Cumbria. UK, Youthzone, Blackburn, Lancashire. UK, Manchester. UK, Preston, Lancashire. UK . Videomedeja 2012. Simultan - the beginnig of the end. Timisoara. Rumania. 2012.

Art exhibitions at Ask Gallery, solo exhibition, Ginza, Tokyo 2012. Red Brick warehouse, group exhibition, Yokohama 2012. Factory art Gallery, group exhibition, Berlin 2012.

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A collection of diverse artifacts gathered in the forest, each one is representing a person who participated in the 2008 Bilderberg meeting at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia, United States. The topic at that specific meeting was cyber terrorism. It was recorded by an anonymous security guard and then encrypted.

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Promotion video for Christ. for the upcoming album 'Cathexis - motion picture soundtrack' on Parallax sounds records.

Most of the scenes in this video are excerpts from Cathexis.
It features several different tasks/rituals that are related to the evolutionary mimicry algorithms used in the AUJIK artifact's AI-system.

Cathexis Motion Picture Soundtrack is the fourth widely available album by ex.Benbecula Records head boy, christ. aka Chris H.

The soundtrack was made in close collaboration with award-winning Swedish/Japanese Film-maker and contemporary artist Stefan Larsson, as a perfect counterpoint and counterpart to his up-coming Digital movie release “Cathexis”

The film depicts an esoteric group of people, known as AUJIK, and their interactions with nature and technology, both of which are viewed by AUJIK as having spiritual qualities. AUJIK create and interact with artefacts consisting of unique and multifaceted Artificial Intelligences, Transcending emotional inputs to the artefacts artificial limbic systems, revealing various aspects of the artefacts minds.

This symbiosis of refined and primitive nature leads the AUJIK people to a higher awareness of the self.

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The following text is part of an interview with third incarnation AUJIK member Nashii by social anthropologist Aoi Miura. Translated from Japanese to English by Takenori Murano.

Aoi: Would you like to elaborate the thesis about pancomputationalism and how it is implemented in to Impermanence Trajectory: the limbic nest.

Nashii: Pancomputationalism derives from the idea of a computational universe, which means that the whole universe and all of its elementary particles are a network of a computational system and process.
Earlier AUJIK referred to this in terms of natural and unrefined computation but after German AI scientist Jurgen Schmidhuber introduced the more comprehensive view of Panacomputationalism it’s been adapted.
In this manifestation called ‘Impermanence Trajectory: the limbic nest’, this idea is explained through a sacred rock located at an ancient Yamabushi area called Ishiyama.
A rock consist of approximately ten trillion trillion atoms in a kilogram of matter, electrons scattering and bouncing back and forth making it a very vivid space with a vast computational potential.
This rock in particular was discovered by a Yamabushi monk called Gue in 971 and was mainly used for contemplation. They claimed it had huge amount of matter that the called symmetric energy. Yamabushi monks considered them self’s as an isolated cluster and by transcend with this rock they could become a more synchronised entity.

Aoi: Does AUJIK have any relations to Yamabushi?

Nashii: Some of our members ancestors were Yambushi, but other than that I don’t think so.
Anyhow, this symmetric energy they absorbed had a remarkable impact on their mind and made them more aware of nature and the periphery of nature.

Aoi: Periphery of nature?

Nashii: Yes, the non psychical and esoteric nature. Perhaps what we call dark matter.

Aoi: So this rock is basically – according to your manifestation – an intelligent, consciousness being.

Nashii: To a certain extent yes.

Aoi: And with a limbic system?

Nashii: An Artificial Limbic System(ALS). Since the rock- even though it’s psychical form remains intact - been transformed in to a computational process using quantum mechanics and schematic algorithms similar to a cellular automata.
Another aspect of the this ALS is its potential to evolve and develop its own components.
This is visualised in Impermanence Trajectory through various objects/components like the shakan/anti-amygdala, the lotus dendrites and the septum fall.

Aoi: Can you tell us something about the sound.

Nashii: It is based on the frequencies of my brain waves. By reading the electronic activities that happens in my brain with an EEG-device and then transform it in to sound or eventually music with a computer software called OIO. OIO scans all of the parallel brain waves, and by using certain algorithms it generates it in to sound. It becomes an audio map of one’s brain activates.

AUJIK are constructed as an esoteric sect who believes in animism and worships nature.

They divide nature in to:

Refined:
robotics
artificial intelligence
nano technology
dna manipulation
augemented reality
body enhancements
carbon nano tubes
synthetic photosynthesis

Primitive:
trees
plants
soil
organism
stones
metals
minerals
foliage

AUJIK states that:
The refine nature originates from the primitive and vice versa.
That refine nature is order and primitive nature is chaos.
That the resistance between them will decrease until they converge in to a state of supreme clarity.
In order to reach this state AUJIK project sacred artefacts that are a crossbreed of organic and synthetic entity.
The following manifestations illustrates how they interact with their artefacts.
Each artefacts consists of an unique and multifaceted Artificial Intelligence (AI).
By transcending emotional inputs to the artefacts artificial limbic system the AUJIK members can reveal various areas and aspects of the artefacts minds.
Examples are the artefacts self-image, consciousness, sub-consciousness, gender, affects and spirituality.
This symbiosis also leads the AUJIK members to a higher awareness of the self.

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Japanese AUJIK presents it's latest manifestation that deals with Artificial General Intelligence and complex dialectical sentiment systems.
Music specially composed by Mira Calix featuring cellist Oliver Coates.

About:
AUJIK's visual manifestation 'impermanence trajectory: stained seed' is based upon the idea of Computational Dialectics via Complex Sentiment Systems.

By using dialectical values that is the concept and phenomena expressed in terms of con?ict, contradiction, opposite, di?erence, etc. In thought, nature, and society it is the motive force both of nature and of human endeavor, leading to a further trajectory of development.

It consists of two subjects: agent X and agent Y. Each subject is exposed to eight different emotional inputs that determine a value. Values are also influenced by four different forces. These forces either combine or divide the emotional values, rendering random outcomes depending on their previous state, their environment, and the state of the other agent.

The trajectory starts with an initial state where the two agents plant a seed each. The seed grows according to the emotional states of the agent and the impact of the forces.
During the evolution of the seed, the tree – which represents the object – also changes its form and gradually blossoms before it collapses due to a self-inflicted virus.

The virus generates a portal system - through the tress core - that implicates yet another realm of emotions and consciousness that will allow them to reanimate the process again and adjust it. Optimizing the cognitive and emotional parameters to sufficiency.

The agents’ emotional states are visualized by their heads, which are symmetric and reminiscent of a Rorschach test.
Their values and force impact can be seen at the lower sides of the picture.
The agents themselves can be described as variables and algorithms as used in computer code for developing Artificial General Intelligence.

By applying their emotional states to a dialectical format (thesis, anti-thesis & synthesis), they aim to improve their emotional outcomes and refining in to an impermanence perfection.
Artificial General Intelligence and computational dialectical emotional systems.

Inspired by the article 'Computational Dialectics for Arguing Agents' by professor Hajime Sawamura at Niigata University.

About Mira Calix:
Mira Calix is the stage name of Chantal Passamonte, a British based artist signed to Warp Records. Although her earlier music is almost exclusively electronic, in recent years she has incorporated classical instrumentation into her work for performance, recording and installations.

warp.net/records/mira-calix
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mira_Calix
miracalix.com/

Filmed in Shiga, Japan 2013. Premiere 1/15/2014 by Dazed & Confused magazine:
dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/18396/1/impermanence-trajectory-stained-seed

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Purpose with this project is to achieve some rather complex motion tracking scenes and building extensions of the tress in various forms. Also to only use HDR-maps as light sources that are shot at the filming locations.

Very low rendering settings in Vray makes the shaders flickering and shitty. no UVW mapping either.

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tracked with synthteyes. simple displacement textures made from photos of the tree. third clip shows the tracking points. used manual tracking.

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Rendering with brand new Vray 3.0 in 3D's Max 2014. Vray hair in second scene. Low settings - using IR and brute force as second engine - causing some nasty flickering with displacements maps. Will use particles for snow further on. Merlin steadicam and 8 mm Sigma wide angle lens. classic evergreen by autechre.

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