{"id":37249,"date":"2025-05-09T09:49:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T07:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/?post_type=magazin-artikel&#038;p=37249"},"modified":"2025-05-09T11:34:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T09:34:32","slug":"the-meaning-of-artificial-life","status":"publish","type":"magazin-artikel","link":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/schirnmag\/the-meaning-of-artificial-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning of \u2018Artificial\u2019 Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/header-magazin-landscape'>\n\n<div  class='div'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid sizes-width-fill'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 margin-bottom-4 text-align-center'  data-motion-text=\"{&quot;child&quot;:&quot;.ho-sd-mag-h2&quot;,&quot;force&quot;:true,&quot;delay&quot;:0,&quot;speed&quot;:0.9,&quot;ease&quot;:&quot;expo.out&quot;}\">\n<h1 class='ho-sd-mag-h2' style=\"white-space: normal;\">The Meaning of \u2018Artificial\u2019 Life<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='container-fluid mobile-margin-bottom-3 sizes-width-fill'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-md-4 col-md-offset-4 col-xs-offset-2 col-xs-8'>\n\n<div  class='margin-bottom-7'  data-motion-text=\"{&quot;child&quot;:&quot;.lazy-media-inline&quot;,&quot;force&quot;:true,&quot;delay&quot;:0.3,&quot;speed&quot;:0.9,&quot;ease&quot;:&quot;expo.out&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"wp-block wp-block-ho-flash \" style=\"\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"flash-animation-data\" data-animations='[{\"id\":\"full\",\"name\":\"Full\",\"types\":[{\"name\":\"y\",\"start\":\"-5\",\"end\":\"5\"}]},{\"id\":\"in\",\"name\":\"In\",\"types\":[]},{\"id\":\"out\",\"name\":\"Out\",\"types\":[]}]' data-target=\".lazy-media-contents\" data-animationsmobile='[{\"id\":\"full\",\"name\":\"Full\",\"types\":[{\"name\":\"y\",\"start\":\"-5\",\"end\":\"5\"}]},{\"id\":\"in\",\"name\":\"In\",\"types\":[]},{\"id\":\"out\",\"name\":\"Out\",\"types\":[]}]'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<flash-animation inline-template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"flash-animation\" :class=\"classes\" ref=\"layer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" class=\"lazy-media-inline \" role=\"group\" aria-describedby=\"media_Q7Q1bn\">\n<script type=\"application\/json\">{\n\"id\" : 31121,\n\"sizes\" : {\"medium\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-300x180.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":180,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":24878},\"large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-1024x615.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":615,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":253273},\"medium_large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-768x461.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":461,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":148198},\"1536x1536\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-1536x922.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":922,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":509495},\"2048x2048\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-2048x1229.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1229,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":800499},\"small\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-440x264.jpg\",\"width\":440,\"height\":264,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":50564},\"semi\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-580x348.jpg\",\"width\":580,\"height\":348,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":86673},\"mobile\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-720x432.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":432,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":129985},\"hd\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-1280x768.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":768,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":374443},\"full\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03-1920x1153.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1153,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":725689},\"original\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_03.jpg\",\"width\":3543,\"height\":2127}},\n\"alt\" : \"\",\n\"path\" : \"\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/\",\n\"video\" : null,\n\"autoplay\" : null,\n\"youtube\" : null,\n\"youtubelabel\" : \"play\",\n\"brightness\" : 100,\n\"crop\" : {\"x\":0.5,\"y\":0.5},\n\"background\" : true,\n\"scale\" : 1,\n\"zoom\" : false,\n\"annotations\" : null}<\/script>\n<div class=\"height-container \" style=\"padding-bottom:67%;   \">\n\t<div class=\"height-container-contents lazy-media-contents\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"lazy-media-preview\" style=\"background-image: url('data:image\/jpeg;base64,\/9j\/4AAQSkZJRgABAQEAYABgAAD\/\/gA7Q1JFQVRPUjogZ2QtanBlZyB2MS4wICh1c2luZyBJSkcgSlBFRyB2NjIpLCBxdWFsaXR5ID0gOTAK\/9sAQwADAgIDAgIDAwMDBAMDBAUIBQUEBAUKBwcGCAwKDAwLCgsLDQ4SEA0OEQ4LCxAWEBETFBUVFQwPFxgWFBgSFBUU\/9sAQwEDBAQFBAUJBQUJFA0LDRQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQU\/8AAEQgADgAYAwEiAAIRAQMRAf\/EAB8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQYHCAkKC\/\/EALUQAAIBAwMCBAMFBQQEAAABfQECAwAEEQUSITFBBhNRYQcicRQygZGhCCNCscEVUtHwJDNicoIJChYXGBkaJSYnKCkqNDU2Nzg5OkNERUZHSElKU1RVVldYWVpjZGVmZ2hpanN0dXZ3eHl6g4SFhoeIiYqSk5SVlpeYmZqio6Slpqeoqaqys7S1tre4ubrCw8TFxsfIycrS09TV1tfY2drh4uPk5ebn6Onq8fLz9PX29\/j5+v\/EAB8BAAMBAQEBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAABAgMEBQYHCAkKC\/\/EALURAAIBAgQEAwQHBQQEAAECdwABAgMRBAUhMQYSQVEHYXETIjKBCBRCkaGxwQkjM1LwFWJy0QoWJDThJfEXGBkaJicoKSo1Njc4OTpDREVGR0hJSlNUVVZXWFlaY2RlZmdoaWpzdHV2d3h5eoKDhIWGh4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWmp6ipqrKztLW2t7i5usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uLj5OXm5+jp6vLz9PX29\/j5+v\/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A+E5dJaC5sluC8WU4XaRnnvXTWvhGC\/0HV5NXuktZ7YhoBtJ3r2H41gajqd3q17Y3EjqZI1755r02yjfU\/h\/rFxLs+1R7VSTHY+tcNShUUVLQyji8K5OPZNnIaLE8fg\/WfIXMYMRGP4aK6XQLaSy+HniQhYvMWJBkD9aKlUnJu\/Q0dWm0nfc\/\/9k='); background-position: 50% 50%; height: 100%; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n\n\t\t<lazy-media-inline inline-template>\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<lazy-media :inline=\"true\" :alt=\"alt\" :sizes=\"sizes\" :scale=\"scale\" :zoom=\"zoom\" :brightness=\"brightness\" :path=\"path\" :video=\"video\" :autoplay=\"autoplay\" :youtube=\"youtube\" :crop=\"crop\" :youtubelabel=\"youtubelabel\" :annotations=\"annotations\" :background=\"background\" v-if=\"sizes\"><\/lazy-media>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/lazy-media-inline>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<figcaption class=\"\" id=\"media_Q7Q1bn\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"figcaption-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-label\">Troika, Buenavista, 2025, Computer animated film, production still<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-description\">\u00a9 Troika <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/flash-animation>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div  class='container-fluid margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 col-md-4 col-md-offset-8 margin-bottom-5'><section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/magazin-header-eigenschaften'>\n\n<div  class='magazine-header-props text-align-right'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid cf-rem-max-width cf-side-1 cf-gutter-1'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12'><div class=\"wp-block-ho-slot \"><p>05\/09\/2025<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12'>\n\n<div  class='margin-bottom-3'>\n\n<div  class='flex-align-center-right'>\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-slot \"><p>10 min reading time<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-slot \"><div class=\"container-fluid cf-rem-max-width cf-side-1 cf-gutter-1\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col col-xs-12\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"components-image-text-person-image-small-group flex-align-top-right\"><div class=\"col col-xs-12\"><div class=\"components-image-text-persons-line\"><span class=\"ho-sd-body\">Curator:<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/beteiligte\/dehlia-hannah-en\/\" class=\"components-image-text-person-image-small\"><div class=\"components-image-text-person-image-small-text ho-sd-body\">Dehlia Hannah<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"col col-xs-12\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"flex-align-top-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/kuenstler\/ala-roushan-en\/\" class=\"components-image-text-person-image-small\"><div class=\"components-image-text-person-image-small-text ho-sd-body\">Ala Roushan<\/div><div class=\"components-image-text-person-image-small-image\"><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"col col-xs-12\"><div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\"><div class=\"ho-tag-group flex-align-top-right\"><div class=\"ho-tag is-tertiary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/hauptkategorie\/diskurs-en\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Discourse<\/a><\/div><div class=\"ho-tag is-tertiary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/hauptkategorie\/interview-en\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Interview<\/a><\/div><div class=\"ho-tag is-tertiary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/hauptkategorie\/context-en\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Context<\/a><\/div><div class=\"ho-tag is-tertiary\" style=\"background-color:#bfe83a;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/ho_ausstellung\/troika-en\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Troika<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"col col-xs-12\"><div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\"><div class=\"ho-tag-group flex-align-top-right\"><div class=\"ho-tag is-primary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/tag\/digital-art-en\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Digital Art<\/a><\/div><div class=\"ho-tag is-primary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/tag\/society\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Society<\/a><\/div><div class=\"ho-tag is-primary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/tag\/contemporary-art\/\" class=\"ho-tag-label\">Contemporary Art<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 last-xs col-md-8'>\t<p class='ho-sd-h4'>In her essay \u201cAlter Life\u201d, artist and curator Ala Roushan looks at the extent to which we should rethink our current understanding of what we call \u2018living\u2019. The Curator and Philosopher Dehlia Hannah met her for an Interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/text-magazin-interview'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-md-offset-6 padding-bottom-5'>\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>Thinking about Troika\u2019s exhibition \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/schirnmag\/bald-in-der-schirn-troika-buenavista\/\">Buenavista<\/a>\u201d, I was inspired by your essay <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berlinerfestspiele.de\/gropius-bau\/programm\/journal\/2024\/alaroushan\">\u201cAlter Life\u201d<\/a> to think about \u2018alternative intelligences\u2019\u2014something more expansive than \u2018artificial intelligence\u2019 or machine learning. AI, in this broader sense, might encompass machine, plant, animal, fungal or other modes of sensing and being. Your essay helped me to reconceptualize AI in this way, and to think about how it holds up a mirror to human modes of consciousness, life, and intelligence. The title holds an intriguing double meaning, however. Can you tell me about the connotations of \u2018alter\u2019? Is this short for \u2018alternative\u2019? Or is it an imperative: to alter, or change our understanding of life? Or even to alter life itself? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='col col-md-5 col-md-offset-7 col-xs-11 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div  class='ho-tag is-primary is-small margin-bottom-3'>\t<p class='ho-tag-label'>Ala Roushan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>I was drawn to the concept of alterity\u2013both intrigued by the sense of otherness in this emerging technology, but also wary of its inherent tendency to alter and transform. I struggled with the term artificial, as it traps us in the dichotomy of natural versus artificial, giving primacy to one over the other. At the same time, I was fascinated and unsettled by the inevitability of radical alterations to our world brought about by this technology. Alterations that became palpable, seeping rapidly into every facet of our existence \u2013 from language to social structures to the environment \u2013 feeding on the planet\u2019s resources and reshaping our realities.<br><br>Simultaneously, I was conducting fieldwork in collaboration with artist Charles Stankievech, visiting locations key to speculating about the early formation of the Earth before the emergence of biological life as we know it. Rather than engaging in debates about \u201cintelligence\u201d\u2013 a term laden with hierarchical implications \u2013 I wanted to center the conversation around \u201clife\u201d itself. My aim was to broaden its definition, reflecting on how even scientific understandings of life continue to morph and expand with new discoveries and deeper insights. This approach allowed me to explore whether we might consider this technology as a form of emergent life, prompting a reexamination of the parameters that constitute life in the first place. As you suggest, this aligns with the ongoing discourse toward a more inclusive definition of life \u2013 one that embraces machine, plant, animal, fungal, and opens the space to include other modes of being.<br>In this sense, \u201cAlter Life\u201d became a way to grapple with these profound shifts \u2013 both the emergence of new forms of life and the unsettling transformations they entail.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/medien-bild-zentriert'>\n\n<div  class='margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid cf-gutter-5 cf-side-5'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-md-6 col-md-offset-3 col-xs-10 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\">\t<figure itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" role=\"group\" aria-describedby=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n\t\t<img\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.berlinerfestspiele.de\/magnoliaPublic\/.imaging\/mte\/bfs-de-fe\/large\/dam\/bfs-de\/Gropius-Bau\/2024\/gb24_Journal\/Ala-Roushan\/01-Stankievech_CaveStudy-Yucatan_2021.jpg\/jcr:content\/01%20Stankievech_CaveStudy-Yucatan_2021.jpg\"\n\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"external-image-class\"\n\t\t\/>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\n\n<figcaption id=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n\t<div class=\"figcaption-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-label\">Charles Stankievech, Cave Studies (Yucatan LiDAR), 2021<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-description\">Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berlinerfestspiele.de\/en\/gropius-bau\/programm\/journal\/2024\/alaroushan\">berlinerfestspiele.de<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/text-magazin-interview'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-md-offset-6 padding-bottom-5'>\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>The prospect of new forms of life emerging raises some uncomfortable questions. It\u2019s not just a question of whether other beings might be friendly to us or want to eat us for dinner, as in the old sci-fi movies about monster robots. The environmental implications might be far more pressing. One way to interpret the narrative of \u201cBuenavista\u201d is that the furry robot is trying to find \u2013 or create \u2013 a comfortable ecological niche. We now know that organisms don\u2019t just evolve to fit their environments, they also actively shape them. What if the ecological niche of \u2018alter life\u2019 is very different from ours?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='col col-md-5 col-md-offset-7 col-xs-11 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div  class='ho-tag is-primary is-small margin-bottom-3'>\t<p class='ho-tag-label'>Ala Roushan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>Alter Life wanting, or needing to find its ecological niche is a pressing issue, especially in this fragile state of our environment. Even in these early stages, its altering consequences are taking effect as it consumes immense resources and occupies vast landscapes. From an optimistic lens, we can hope that it\u2019s coming iterations might follow a more sustainable trajectory. For example, that it will embrace possibilities of reducing its power consumption by seeking forms of computing that liberate it from the high energy needs of the cloud. These could include higher efficiency models such as mortal computing offering lower electricity needs and relying on organic substrates capable of regeneration and self-reproduction. <br><br>Yet even if these technical adaptations succeed, will its parameters for optimizing the environment for its own needs continue to maintain a habitable biosphere for us? So as Alter Life alters the planet, what we can hope for is that our desires could possibly align. Perhaps its desire to keep temperatures cool, for keeping its servers better functioning (using less energy) and keeping a cool atmosphere for its mortal wetware, align with our need to combat global warming. But can we be so idealistic as to hope for long term co-habitation on this planet? It seems inevitable that our requirements for planetary care versus its technological optimization will soon diverge. With an intelligence that will surpass ours, we must consider that it might prioritize its needs over ours, much like we have prioritized our own existence over other forms of life we perceive as inferior \u2013 plants and animals (not mentioning other fellow humans). So, it is not hard to speculate that Alter Life will cultivate the earth towards its own needs \u2013 reaching a tipping point when the Earth becomes vastly different from what we require. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/medien-bild-zentriert'>\n\n<div  class='margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid cf-gutter-5 cf-side-5'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-md-6 col-md-offset-3 col-xs-10 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\">\t<figure itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" role=\"group\" aria-describedby=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n\t\t<img\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.berlinerfestspiele.de\/magnoliaPublic\/.imaging\/mte\/bfs-de-fe\/large\/dam\/bfs-de\/Gropius-Bau\/2024\/gb24_Journal\/Ala-Roushan\/02-Stankievech_CaveStudy-Namibia_2022.jpg\/jcr:content\/02%20Stankievech_CaveStudy-Namibia_2022.jpg\"\n\t\t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"external-image-class\"\n\t\t\/>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\n\n<figcaption id=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n\t<div class=\"figcaption-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-label\">Charles Stankievech, Cave Studies (Namibia LiDAR), 2022<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-description\">Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berlinerfestspiele.de\/gropius-bau\/programm\/journal\/2024\/alaroushan\">berlinerfestspiele.de<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/text-magazin-interview'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-md-offset-6 padding-bottom-5'>\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>The idea that Alter Life might have different needs \u2013  for example, for energy sources, cooling conditions, water and minerals \u2013 and prioritize them over the needs of humans and other life forms raises some ominous possibilities. Perhaps our needs could align to some degree, for example for a cooler planet. And indeed, some have high hopes that AI will help handle the climate crisis. But there could be methods of achieving the broad goal of climate cooling that would be fine for alter life, but not for many of the people and other creatures on this planet. You\u2019ve been thinking a lot about Solar Radiation Management, a set of experimental techniques under development that could cool the planet by deflecting sunlight. One strategy is to mimic the effects of volcanic eruptions by injecting sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere, however the effects on weather systems, acid rain, etc. might be catastrophic in their own right. Does it help to think about these issues from the perspective of another life form?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='col col-md-5 col-md-offset-7 col-xs-11 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div  class='ho-tag is-primary is-small margin-bottom-3'>\t<p class='ho-tag-label'>Ala Roushan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>It\u2019s interesting to contextualize the debate of Alter Life within the much-contested concept of solar geoengineering, where it might play a critical role both in simulating environmental models as well as structuring models of governance to regulate its implementation. As you mentioned, we\u2019re referring to strategies of Solar Radiation Management, a terraforming project that conditions the stratosphere by scattering aerosols to mitigate the heat from solar rays, with the objective of creating a cooler planet. The main challenge and source of strong resistance to this strategy rests on two insurmountable obstacles: first, achieving the science for accurate and effective implementation \u2013 which includes addressing discrepancies between predictive models and sustainable real-world outcomes; and second, establishing adequate governance \u2013 which includes securing a long-term global consensus.  <br>In this context, in a best-case scenario, Alter Life could play a role in addressing some of these critical challenges of science and governance. But in a more likely scenario, we must consider the intensified challenges that compound. For instance, the consensus that we struggle to maintain among humans will become even more complex when factoring in the desires and needs of Alter Life \u2013 a life that doesn\u2019t share our biology, our needs, or our temporality. In this case how will the ideal planetary atmosphere be defined? Ideal for who? And so ultimately, can we see cohabitation with Alter Life even possible?  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/text-magazin-interview'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-md-offset-6 padding-bottom-5'>\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>In \u201cBuenavista\u201d, we witness a figure that composing its own corporeal motion in tandem with a more coherent environment. And yet, this environment is one that looks nothing like our real planet \u2013 in it, you have ice bergs and cactuses and tides flooding into a desert \u2013 a collage of elements that makes sense in digital space but is fundamentally disconnected from this world as it has evolved geologically. Are simulations and modeling practices leading us to imagine that we can manipulate the bio and geosphere as if it were a video game?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='col col-md-5 col-md-offset-7 col-xs-11 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div  class='ho-tag is-primary is-small margin-bottom-3'>\t<p class='ho-tag-label'>Ala Roushan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>The ability to model and simulates nature in some ways has brough us closer to comprehending the complexities and vastness of the planetary environment. The fact that we can now create models that encompass the Earth\u2019s entire weather system\u2014processing massive datasets, tracking patterns in real time, and predicting futures \u2013 is remarkable. The geoengineering proposals we discussed are only even conceivable through the predictive modeling afforded by our computational machines. But models fail. And the accuracy of the simulation is limited to the limits of these technologies and the parameters that govern them. <br>Our overreliance on the model to capture the intricacies of the natural world exposes us to biases and blind spots. For example, even with SRM, the question remains if the model can capture the cascading effecting that can arise by intervening in the delicate dynamics of weather. In other words, as we attempt to model and fix one problem what are the domino effect the model fails to predict \u2013 possible disruption to regional rainfall, to monsoons, to ocean currents.  So, I agree with the contradiction you\u2019ve pointed to: that in simulating nature within the digital realm, we remain fundamentally disconnected. <br>The model has put us in a god like position \u2013 an illusion of the video game \u2013 hovering over the planet as though we are in control.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/medien-bild-zwei-bilder-mittel-mittel'>\n\n<div  class='margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid cf-gutter-5 cf-side-1'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-md-5 col-xs-11 mobile-margin-bottom-5'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\"><figure itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" class=\"lazy-media-inline \" role=\"group\" aria-describedby=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n<script type=\"application\/json\">{\n\"id\" : 31116,\n\"sizes\" : {\"medium\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-300x180.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":180,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":20015},\"large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1024x614.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":614,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":192198},\"medium_large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-768x461.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":461,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":113918},\"1536x1536\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1536x922.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":922,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":387205},\"2048x2048\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-2048x1229.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1229,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":613703},\"small\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-440x264.jpg\",\"width\":440,\"height\":264,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":39911},\"semi\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-580x348.jpg\",\"width\":580,\"height\":348,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":67926},\"mobile\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-720x432.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":432,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":100221},\"hd\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1280x768.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":768,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":283563},\"full\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1920x1152.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1152,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":553051},\"original\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02.jpg\",\"width\":3543,\"height\":2126}},\n\"alt\" : \"\",\n\"path\" : \"\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/\",\n\"video\" : null,\n\"autoplay\" : null,\n\"youtube\" : null,\n\"youtubelabel\" : \"play\",\n\"brightness\" : 100,\n\"crop\" : null,\n\"background\" : false,\n\"scale\" : 1,\n\"zoom\" : false,\n\"annotations\" : null}<\/script>\n<div class=\"height-container \" style=\"padding-bottom:60.005644933672%;   \">\n\t<div class=\"height-container-contents lazy-media-contents\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"lazy-media-preview\" style=\"background-image: url('data:image\/jpeg;base64,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'); background-position: 50% 50%; height: 100%; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"lazy-media loaded\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1920x1152.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1920x1152.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1536x922.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-2048x1229.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-440x264.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-580x348.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-720x432.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Production_still_02-1280x768.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 763px) 100vw, (qmin-width: 764px) and (max-width: 1023px) 100vw, (min-width: 1024px) 100vw\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\n<figcaption id=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n\t<div class=\"figcaption-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-label\">Troika, Buenavista, 2025, Computer animated film, production still<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-description\">\u00a9 Troika<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-11 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-5 col-md-offset-1'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\"><figure itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" class=\"lazy-media-inline \" role=\"group\" aria-describedby=\"media_mJVyHD\">\n<script type=\"application\/json\">{\n\"id\" : 31110,\n\"sizes\" : {\"medium\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-300x204.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":204,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":15982},\"large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1024x695.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":695,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":126253},\"medium_large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-768x521.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":521,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":77561},\"1536x1536\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1536x1043.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":1043,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":247457},\"2048x2048\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-2048x1390.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1390,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":392455},\"small\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-440x299.jpg\",\"width\":440,\"height\":299,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":29911},\"semi\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-580x394.jpg\",\"width\":580,\"height\":394,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":48568},\"mobile\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-720x489.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":489,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":69485},\"hd\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1280x869.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":869,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":183713},\"full\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1920x1303.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1303,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":353631},\"original\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01.jpg\",\"width\":3480,\"height\":2362}},\n\"alt\" : \"\",\n\"path\" : \"\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/\",\n\"video\" : null,\n\"autoplay\" : null,\n\"youtube\" : null,\n\"youtubelabel\" : \"play\",\n\"brightness\" : 100,\n\"crop\" : null,\n\"background\" : false,\n\"scale\" : 1,\n\"zoom\" : false,\n\"annotations\" : null}<\/script>\n<div class=\"height-container \" style=\"padding-bottom:67.873563218391%;   \">\n\t<div class=\"height-container-contents lazy-media-contents\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"lazy-media-preview\" style=\"background-image: url('data:image\/jpeg;base64,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'); background-position: 50% 50%; height: 100%; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"lazy-media loaded\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1920x1303.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1920x1303.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1024x695.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-768x521.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1536x1043.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-2048x1390.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-440x299.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-580x394.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-720x489.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Anima_Atman_2024_01-1280x869.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 763px) 91.666666666667vw, (min-width: 764px) and (max-width: 1023px) 41.666666666667vw, (min-width: 1024px) 41.666666666667vw\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\n<figcaption id=\"media_mJVyHD\">\n\t<div class=\"figcaption-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-label\">Troika, Anima Atman, 2024, thistles, LED lights, custom-made electromechanical system, installation view Langen Foundation, Neuss<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-description\">\u00a9 Troika<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/text-magazin-interview'>\n\n<div  class='container-fluid margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-md-offset-6 padding-bottom-5'>\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>The work \u201cAnima Atman\u201d reveals an uncanny motion of plants, alluding to the limits of human perception of plant life. This raises the question: would we even be able to recognize alter life if it were present in our midst? Could there be something existing already, or evolving, that would expand our idea of life? Conversely, might alter life expand our capacity to recognize existing beings like plants and microorganisms that are at the threshold of human perception, intuitive grasp and empathy?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='col col-md-5 col-md-offset-7 col-xs-11 col-xs-offset-1'>\n\n<div  class='ho-tag is-primary is-small margin-bottom-3'>\t<p class='ho-tag-label'>ALa Roushan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t<p class='ho-sd-body'>Much like the limitations we discussed in modeling, our capacity to perceive is shaped by the boundaries of our understanding, biases and blind spots. This is especially true when it comes to defining life, and more so when attempting to recognize forms of life unlike our own. In the book \u201cThe Desert Turned to Glass\u201d, I wrote of emergence considering that the development of AI is evolving toward autonomy in its potential to generate independent subgoals and so exceed its programming. The result is a computational system untethered from human intention: marking its pivotal shift from instrument to agent. As such a being will emerge whose decisions, desires, and direction may unfold entirely outside of the human.  <br>But here is where our fascination and fears lie: will its existence be so far beyond our comprehension that we fail to even recognize it altogether? Might it elude our perception \u2013 not because it hides, but because we lack the cognitive framework to see it as alive and recognize its existence? Just as the full dimensions of human consciousness remain elusive even to ourselves, this emergent life might also exist within a field of the unknowable. In fact, it may even invert the question of consciousness entirely. A reversal might occur: who is conscious of whom? And to what degree? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class='wp-block-ho-pattern ' data-pattern='ho\/medien-bild-volle-breite'>\n\n<div  class='margin-bottom-7'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\">\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\"><figure itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" class=\"lazy-media-inline \" role=\"group\" aria-describedby=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n<script type=\"application\/json\">{\n\"id\" : 35115,\n\"sizes\" : {\"medium\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-300x200.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":200,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":15919},\"large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1024x683.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":109483},\"medium_large\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-768x512.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":512,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":68328},\"1536x1536\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1536x1024.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":1024,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":214619},\"2048x2048\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-2048x1366.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1366,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":351983},\"small\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-440x293.jpg\",\"width\":440,\"height\":293,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":28425},\"semi\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-580x387.jpg\",\"width\":580,\"height\":387,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":44422},\"mobile\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-720x480.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":480,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":61999},\"hd\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1280x853.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":158529},\"full\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1920x1280.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"mime-type\":\"image\\\/jpeg\",\"filesize\":314418},\"original\":{\"file\":\"Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9.jpg\",\"width\":3307,\"height\":2205}},\n\"alt\" : \"\",\n\"path\" : \"\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/\",\n\"video\" : null,\n\"autoplay\" : null,\n\"youtube\" : null,\n\"youtubelabel\" : \"play\",\n\"brightness\" : 100,\n\"crop\" : null,\n\"background\" : false,\n\"scale\" : 1,\n\"zoom\" : false,\n\"annotations\" : null}<\/script>\n<div class=\"height-container \" style=\"padding-bottom:66.676746295736%;   \">\n\t<div class=\"height-container-contents lazy-media-contents\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"lazy-media-preview\" style=\"background-image: url('data:image\/jpeg;base64,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'); background-position: 50% 50%; height: 100%; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"lazy-media loaded\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1920x1280.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-440x293.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Schirn_Presse_Troika_Buenavista_Ausstellungsansicht-9-1280x853.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 763px) 100vw, (qmin-width: 764px) and (max-width: 1023px) 100vw, (min-width: 1024px) 100vw\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div  class='container-fluid cf-gutter-5 cf-side-5'>\n\n<div  class='row'>\n\n<div  class='col col-xs-12'>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ho-div\"><figcaption id=\"media_3gzU3J\">\n\t<div class=\"figcaption-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-label\">Troika, Buenavista, 2025, Exhibition view<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lazy-media-image-description\">\u00a9 Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt 2025, Photo: Roy Bon 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In her essay \u201cAlter Life\u201d, artist and curator Ala Roushan looks at the extent to which we should rethink our current understanding of what we call \u2018living\u2019. The Curator and Philosopher Dehlia Hannah met her for an Interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":31121,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ho_image_focal_point":"","footnotes":""},"ho_exhibition_taxonomy":[3761],"artist":[4010],"magazin_tag":[1384,1370,1375],"magazin_type":[3538,2013],"involved":[4001],"class_list":["post-37249","magazin-artikel","type-magazin-artikel","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ho_exhibition_taxonomy-troika-en","artist-ala-roushan-en","magazin_tag-contemporary-art","magazin_tag-digital-art-en","magazin_tag-society","magazin_type-diskurs-en","magazin_type-interview-en","involved-dehlia-hannah-en"],"acf":{"seo_titel":"","seo_description":"","keywords":"","noindex":false,"redirect":"","relevancy":false,"post_type_label":false,"autoplay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin-artikel\/37249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin-artikel"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/magazin-artikel"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin-artikel\/37249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37258,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin-artikel\/37249\/revisions\/37258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ho_exhibition_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ho_exhibition_taxonomy?post=37249"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=37249"},{"taxonomy":"magazin_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin_tag?post=37249"},{"taxonomy":"magazin_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazin_type?post=37249"},{"taxonomy":"involved","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schirn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/involved?post=37249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}