Latest news with #Revivification
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The lab-grown brain of a late music composer creates music after his death
In recent years, the boundaries between life, technology, and creativity have been blurred due to advancements in Artificial Intelligence. What was limited to just doing predictable tasks, now writes poetry, composes music, and does human conversation with uncanny precision. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As machines learn to 'think,' humanity finds itself grappling with some questions worth a deep thought, where does creativity truly originate? Can machines imagine like humans do or are they simply copying what they've been fed? AI has been used to revive voices from the past, by using the digital simulations of deceased artists, actors, and musicians, and these trials have raised ethical side effects about identity and the permanence of creative legacy, along with a major impact it can have on mental health. But what happens when it's not AI, but science that projects an artist beyond death? Can an artist's creative spirit continue to exist after death? This is a philosophical and scientific question at the heart of Revivification, a bold yet hauntingly beautiful project that fuses art, neuroscience, and bioengineering. Created by Australian artists Guy Ben-Ary, Nathan Thompson, and Matt Gingold, along with neuroscientist Stuart Hodgetts of the University of Western Australia (UWA), The project Revivification invites people to witness a mini-brain composing music in real time. What does this project involve? The project centers around an incubator housing a lab-grown 'in-vitro brain,' or cerebral organoid. This organoid was created using blood donated by legendary composer Alvin Lucier shortly before his death in 2021. According to the team, 'Revivification was created with his full knowledge and consent; his donation of biological material was a conscious choice to participate in this posthumous collaboration.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The signals from Lucier's mini-brain are transmitted through 20 curved brass plates surrounding the space, producing sound via transducers and actuators. The installation does not aim to replicate Lucier's past compositions but to explore the lingering potential of his biological creativity. 'What we've created isn't preservation or simulation,' the team told The Art Newspaper, 'but a form of 'postmortem play' where Lucier's biological material creates in unpredictable ways.' The project was made possible through the now-closed SymbioticA lab at UWA and Harvard Medical School, where Lucier's blood was reprogrammed into stem cells and developed into the brain-like organoid. The team said the work was developed in close partnership with Lucier himself. 'Despite his frailty at 89, his revolutionary spirit remained powerful. We established a relationship that went beyond the professional realm, exploring potential artistic projects together,' they explained. 'At a time when generative AI is calling into question human agency, this project explores the challenges of locating creativity and artistic originality,' the team said. 'Perhaps its value cannot be judged by scientific protocols, yet it remains something that we as humans should place great value in.' They continued, 'Revivification is an attempt to shine light on the sometimes dark possibilities of extending a person's presence beyond the seemed finality of death.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Musician's Brain Is Making Music 3 Years After His Death
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." In collaboration with American experimental composer Alvin Lucier, who passed away in 2021, scientists and artists created an art installation using cerebral organoids developed from the composer's white blood cells. Hooked up to transducers and actuators, these organoids created music by using electrical impulses to strike brass metal plates arranged throughout the installation. The art installation, called Revivification, analyzes the nature of living beyond death, the essence of creativity, and the persistence of memory. American composer Alvin Lucier was well-known for his experimental works that tested the boundaries of music and art. A longtime professor at Wesleyan University (before retiring in 2011), Alvin passed away in 2021 at the age of 90. However, that wasn't the end of his lifelong musical odyssey. Earlier this month, at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, a new art installation titled Revivification used Lucier's 'brain matter'—hooked up to an electrode mesh connected to twenty large brass plates—to create electrical signals that triggered a mallet to strike the varying plates, creating a kind of post-mortem musical piece. Conceptualized in collaboration with Lucier himself before his death, the artists solicited the help of researchers from Harvard Medical School, who grew a mini-brain from Lucier's white blood cells. The team created stem cells from these white blood cells, and due to their pluripotency, the cells developed into cerebral organoids somewhat similar to developing human brains. 'At a time when generative AI is calling into question human agency, this project explores the challenges of locating creativity and artistic originality,' the team behind Revivification told The Art Newspaper. 'Revivification is an attempt to shine light on the sometimes dark possibilities of extending a person's presence beyond the seemed finality of death.' The question is a prescient one. With the development of ever-advancing large language models, or LLMs, companies have already created digital recreations of people that 'live on' after death. Scientists have explored the idea of a hybrid consciousness that creates a shared reality between biological beings and artificial intelligence, or other ways to upload our consciousness to computers (if consciousness turns out to be purely computational, which… the jury is still out on, to say the least). As for Revivification, the deeper question isn't about our technological future, but about the ineffable quality of memory and what it means to be human. 'The central question we want people to ask is: could there be a filament of memory that persists through this biological transformation? Can Lucier's creative essence persist beyond his death?' the team told The Art Newspaper. Although this 'mini brain' obviously lacks the complex consciousness of a 90-year-old artist, neuroscientists and biologists have pondered what the lived experience of brain organoids might be like—even wondering if these simple biological creations possess a kind of consciousness. Going even further, some biologists believe that our very cells contain some form of consciousness, if not exactly an experience we'd typically understand as consciousness. While we can't know what this organoid's music-making experience is like, one thing is certain: the question of living a life after death is no longer an exclusively spiritual one. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Musician's Brain Matter Is Still Making Music—Three Years After Their Death
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." In collaboration with American experimental composer Alvin Lucier, who passed away in 2021, scientists and artists created an art installation using cerebral organoids developed from the composer's white blood cells. Hooked up to transducers and actuators, these organoids created music by using electrical impulses to strike brass metal plates arranged throughout the installation. The art installation, called Revivification, analyzes the nature of living beyond death, the essence of creativity, and the persistence of memory. American composer Alvin Lucier was well-known for his experimental works that tested the boundaries of music and art. A longtime professor at Wesleyan University (before retiring in 2011), Alvin passed away in 2021 at the age of 90. However, that wasn't the end of his lifelong musical odyssey. Earlier this month, at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, a new art installation titled Revivification used Lucier's 'brain matter'—hooked up to an electrode mesh connected to twenty large brass plates—to create electrical signals that triggered a mallet to strike the varying plates, creating a kind of post-mortem musical piece. Conceptualized in collaboration with Lucier himself before his death, the artists solicited the help of researchers from Harvard Medical School, who grew a mini-brain from Lucier's white blood cells. The team created stem cells from these white blood cells, and due to their pluripotency, the cells developed into cerebral organoids somewhat similar to developing human brains. 'At a time when generative AI is calling into question human agency, this project explores the challenges of locating creativity and artistic originality,' the team behind Revivification told The Art Newspaper. 'Revivification is an attempt to shine light on the sometimes dark possibilities of extending a person's presence beyond the seemed finality of death.' The question is a prescient one. With the development of ever-advancing large language models, or LLMs, companies have already created digital recreations of people that 'live on' after death. Scientists have explored the idea of a hybrid consciousness that creates a shared reality between biological beings and artificial intelligence, or other ways to upload our consciousness to computers (if consciousness turns out to be purely computational, which… the jury is still out on, to say the least). As for Revivification, the deeper question isn't about our technological future, but about the ineffable quality of memory and what it means to be human. 'The central question we want people to ask is: could there be a filament of memory that persists through this biological transformation? Can Lucier's creative essence persist beyond his death?' the team told The Art Newspaper. Although this 'mini brain' obviously lacks the complex consciousness of a 90-year-old artist, neuroscientists and biologists have pondered what the lived experience of brain organoids might be like—even wondering if these simple biological creations possess a kind of consciousness. Going even further, some biologists believe that our very cells contain some form of consciousness, if not exactly an experience we'd typically understand as consciousness. While we can't know what this organoid's music-making experience is like, one thing is certain: the question of living a life after death is no longer an exclusively spiritual one. You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Musician's Brain Matter Is Still Making Music—Three Years After His Death
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." In collaboration with American experimental composer Alvin Lucier, who passed away in 2021, scientists and artists created an art installation using cerebral organoids developed from the composer's white blood cells. Hooked up to transducers and actuators, these organoids created music by using electrical impulses to strike brass metal plates arranged throughout the installation. The art installation, called Revivification, analyzes the nature of living beyond death, the essence of creativity, and the persistence of memory. American composer Alvin Lucier was well-known for his experimental works that tested the boundaries of music and art. A longtime professor at Wesleyan University (before retiring in 2011), Alvin passed away in 2021 at the age of 90. However, that wasn't the end of his lifelong musical odyssey. Earlier this month, at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, a new art installation titled Revivification used Lucier's 'brain matter'—hooked up to an electrode mesh connected to twenty large brass plates—to create electrical signals that triggered a mallet to strike the varying plates, creating a kind of post-mortem musical piece. Conceptualized in collaboration with Lucier himself before his death, the artists solicited the help of researchers from Harvard Medical School, who grew a mini-brain from Lucier's white blood cells. The team created stem cells from these white blood cells, and due to their pluripotency, the cells developed into cerebral organoids somewhat similar to developing human brains. 'At a time when generative AI is calling into question human agency, this project explores the challenges of locating creativity and artistic originality,' the team behind Revivification told The Art Newspaper. 'Revivification is an attempt to shine light on the sometimes dark possibilities of extending a person's presence beyond the seemed finality of death.' The question is a prescient one. With the development of ever-advancing large language models, or LLMs, companies have already created digital recreations of people that 'live on' after death. Scientists have explored the idea of a hybrid consciousness that creates a shared reality between biological beings and artificial intelligence, or other ways to upload our consciousness to computers (if consciousness turns out to be purely computational, which… the jury is still out on, to say the least). As for Revivification, the deeper question isn't about our technological future, but about the ineffable quality of memory and what it means to be human. 'The central question we want people to ask is: could there be a filament of memory that persists through this biological transformation? Can Lucier's creative essence persist beyond his death?' the team told The Art Newspaper. Although this 'mini brain' obviously lacks the complex consciousness of a 90-year-old artist, neuroscientists and biologists have pondered what the lived experience of brain organoids might be like—even wondering if these simple biological creations possess a kind of consciousness. Going even further, some biologists believe that our very cells contain some form of consciousness, if not exactly an experience we'd typically understand as consciousness. While we can't know what this organoid's music-making experience is like, one thing is certain: the question of living a life after death is no longer an exclusively spiritual one. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dead Composer Creates New Music, Through A Lab-Grown Brain
Legendary avant-garde composer Alvin Lucier died in 2021 — but that hasn't stopped him from making new music. Credit an artificial 'brain,' grown from his own cells, that emits sound-triggering electrical signals. This in-vitro structure lives at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth. There, through Aug. 3, visitors can wander through 'Revivification,' an immersive installation that merges sound and biotechnology to imagine a compelling way creativity could, potentially, live on long after artists die. If you're picturing a Franken-Lucier rising from an operating table to conduct a symphony, science isn't there yet (at least not publicly). The provocative installation features tiny 3D organoids, sealed and displayed on a raised pedestal, that resemble a developing human brain. Their neural activity sends signals that activate electromechanical mallets to strike 20 curved, wall-mounted brass plates, sending ambient sound rippling through the gallery in real time. Lucier, who taught at Wesleyan University in Connecticut for decades, was himself intrigued with the physics of sound, and before he died at 90, played an active role in imagining various ways his creative spirit could outlive his physical body. 'The goal of 'Revivification' goes beyond simply preserving Alvin Lucier's music or creating a tribute to his work,' Guy Ben-Ary, Nathan Thompson and Matt Gingold, the three Australian artists who collaborated with him on the project, wrote in a joint response to my interview questions. 'Our project aims to fundamentally reimagine artistic immortality by creating a living extension of Lucier's creative essence.' The installation, five years in the making, poses intriguing questions: Can creativity exist outside the body? Does creativity retain our uniqueness after we're gone? Artificial intelligence and holograms are already bringing dead artists back to life, but 'Revivification' veers into the realm of biological intelligence to explore a new path for extending artistic legacy through living matter that functions as a surrogate performer. 'This living entity doesn't merely recreate Lucier's past compositions but continues his artistic journey through its own biological agency,' the artists said. 'It responds to its environment, adapts over time and generates new compositions that couldn't have been predicted by Lucier himself or by us.' Lucier was one of the first artists to use brainwaves to compose and perform music — for his 1965 piece 'Music for Solo Performer' — and he reveled in creating unpredictable soundscapes from everyday objects. Performers of his 1977 'Opera With Objects,' for example, tap two pencils together while touching them to various things — a matchbox, a jar, a plate — to produce a surprisingly shape-shifting acoustic experience. 'Your task is to make vivid for listeners the natural amplification inherent in physical things,' he told performers of the piece. Given Lucier's penchant for the unorthodox, it's no wonder 'Revivification' enthralled him so — he stayed engaged in the details on Zoom calls with the artists until nearly the end of his life. In 2020, when he was 89 and growing increasingly frail, he donated blood to the effort. The artists commissioned Harvard Medical School researchers to reprogram Lucier's white blood cells into stem cells, capable of differentiating into various types of specialized cells. Then, together with University of Western Australia neuroscientist Stuart Hodgetts, they grew neuronal structures atop a mesh of electrodes that both stimulate them and capture their signals. Notably, the organoids don't just produce sound, they receive it. Ben-Ary, Thompson and Gingold created a closed-loop system where microphones in the gallery capture ambient audio, including human voices and the harmonics of hammer against brass, and feed them back to the mini brain. The result is, in essence, a dynamic sonic conversation shaped by the interaction between live humans and the lingering essence of a dead one. 'By being in the space, visitors to the installation are influencing both the sound that others hear there, and the types of stimulations sent back into the organoid,' said the trio, who have worked at the intersection of art, biology and technology for years. The experiment launches as AI permeates creative fields — some artists celebrate its potential to steer their work in exciting new directions, while others fearing it will impact their livelihoods and possibly the very nature of creativity. So where do white blobs fit into the debate about art's bounds? They clearly lack consciousness, something many would consider essential to creativity. 'Creativity really has to have a conscious element to it. And I don't think this particular piece of art is conscious,' Indre Viskontas, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of San Francisco who studies creativity, told NPR. 'Those cells have no intention.' Still, it's easy to imagine a day when they might, especially with a new season of dark satirical series Black Mirror here to fill our minds with alarming scenarios of technology's unanticipated consequences. The artists believe it's not too early to begin pondering the tangled questions surrogate lab-grown performers such as theirs pose: What rights do we afford them? What are the ethical, philosophical and artistic implications of creating entities that may have the potential to be creative? 'These are just some of the questions we hope people ask themselves while experiencing 'Revivification,'' the artists said. 'We don't, however, wish to offer any answers to the exciting yet troubling possibilities it poses.'
