Stefan Larsson

[Airicist]

Stefan Larsson (QNQ / AUJIK) / Biography

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.

aujik.com

youtube.com/kjounk

vimeo.com/qnqaujik

facebook.com/qnqaujik

imdb.com/name/nm5096182

Projects:

"Cathexis", AUJIK, Stefan Larsson, 2012, Japan

[Airicist]

AUJIK are an contemporary artist mainly working with CGI-video, photos, installations, clothes, music and paintings.
Concept of the work is how Strong AI/AGI(Artificial General Intelligence)transcends with the human mind and vice verse.
AUJIK is constructed as an esoteric group 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

[Airicist]

YUKI/christ. - One Sunny Cloudy Day

Published on Jun 3, 2013

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

[Airicist]

9 states of ambivalence

Published on Jun 11, 2012

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

[Airicist]

AUJIK - a Forest within a Forest.

Uploaded on Jul 28, 2010

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.

[Airicist]

The Devil is in the Details.

Uploaded on Jul 21, 2009

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

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

[Airicist]

AUJIK - MOLOCH

Uploaded on Jul 21, 2009

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.

[Airicist]

AUJIK - the Ishiyama Excursion

Uploaded on Jul 15, 2009

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".

[Airicist]

Cathexis
November 8, 2012

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.

[Airicist]

Polygon Graffiti: an Uguisu Morph
August 4, 2010

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.