LUCA

LUCA by Tansy Xiao

Artist talk to follow each performance

Torn Space collaborates with University at Buffalo’s Coalesce: Center for Biological Arts, to present an interactive installation performance-in-progress by artist Tansy Xiao. LUCA explores positioning humans as just one element within the ecosystem rather than at the apex of a hierarchical structure.

Tansy Xiao [http://tansyxiao.com] is an artist in residence at Coalesce at UB, presenting an interactive installation/performance piece at Torn Space Theatre on Saturday, April 27th. 

LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor: the hypothetical single-cell organism from which all life on Earth descended) is a non-linear virtual environment with a non-anthropocentric approach. In the natural world, diverse forms of intelligence operate independently of human dominance. Non-human organisms construct intricate information networks, respond to their umwelt, form complex symbiotic relationships, and communicate through methods that eluded understanding and validation by modern science for centuries. This perspective challenges the notion of human superiority, positioning humans as just one element within the ecosystem rather than at the apex of a hierarchical structure.

Exploring the interconnection and collective agency between human and non-human intelligence, this project utilizes Unreal Engine, Max MSP, and electronic circuits to dynamically shape the visual and sonic elements of a virtual world. Real-time biometric data from performers’ movements and living microbiomes adds a capricious dimension to the experience. The current presentation in progress showcases the human body movement aspect of the project, serving as both an interactive installation and a live performance.