But we’ve always felt it’s extremely important that there’s an R&D dimension to our explorations of technology. R&D within the art practice involves both backend applications of tech and explorations of its role at the frontend, via exhibitions and artwork, as our R&D work with artists often leads to an exhibition or commission.
So we’re now taking it further with these residencies — they’re meant to allow for risk-taking, because art is about experimentation, which includes experiments with technology.
Vogue: Why now?
As technology speeds everything up, it’s becoming permanently about output, output, output for artists — and for fashion designers, too. But art, like fashion, needs time and slowness, and we need to give artists that. It’s just as important for fashion, in fact for all creative fields, that we give creatives the opportunity to slow down and not to have to do four to eight shows a year.
When I was 23, I got a residency from the Cartier Foundation in Paris, which allowed me to leave Switzerland for the first time (I had no money) and just be there, research, and take time for lots of studio visits. It was a really crucial moment in my life — my entire trajectory wouldn’t have been possible over the last 35 years without that residency.
I think as an art institution, it’s our job to make people think about how these technologies will affect us over a longer duration, while also allowing people to work on longer projects. That’s what binds all our projects together — moving past short-termism, which is a danger with AI.
The entire fellowship is founded on the belief we have that artists are not simply observers of technological change, but contributors to it. And if we believe that, then we must create opportunities for artists to think and be part of that dialogue.
Vogue: What role do you think institutions like Serpentine should play in enabling artists to research and experiment with technologies like AI?
We want to do something useful for the entire sector, for artists, and for the world. We say to ourselves every day: this shouldn’t be R&D for R&D’s sake; how can it be actually useful? We’re very aware that many organizations don’t have an arts and tech team as we do, so we want our learnings to extend to other institutions by making them public.
We also strongly believe in partnerships with organizations in other sectors. Without the supporting philanthropic arts organization Glass Castle, this fellowship wouldn’t be possible, but we’ve also had very early partnerships with Google Arts and Culture, and even a partnership with Fortnite in 2022. That was particularly exciting because we reached 150 million people in two weeks as we were on the Fortnite landing page — tech partners can be an important way to reach huge audiences and bring more art into the world.
Likewise, we should work with governments, corporations, and brands to try and put artists into those structures. Today, big organizations and governments should have artists in residence and maybe even on the board. We don’t want to just show art and tech in the museum. We believe artists should be involved in the tech conversations that are happening beyond the gallery.
