Dr Ellen Pearlman – AI and Memory

When language disappears – Dr Ellen Pearlman on artificial intelligence and memory. MiR.LAB is launching its first residency: the internationally renowned artist and researcher Dr Ellen Pearlman is visiting Gelsenkirchen from New York. For two weeks, she will be working with the MiR.LAB team to develop new artistic approaches to combining artificial intelligence and musical theatre. To round off the residency, she will give a lecture on AI and memory, offering insights into her pioneering work. How will we remember? To mark the conclusion of MiR.LAB’s first artist residency, the New York-based artist and researcher Dr Ellen Pearlman will present her research project ‘Language Is Leaving Me – An AI Cinematic Opera Of The Skin’. The project has already been honoured with the “Lumen Prize Moving Image Award in AI” and is listed among the “Top 50 Immersive Experiences of 2023” by the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab. In keeping with the theme, the talk at MiR.LAB will be subtitled live in German using artificial intelligence. During her residency, Dr Ellen Pearlman explores the question of how artificial intelligence alters human memories, strips them of their meaning and sometimes even erases them. The central theme of the work “Language Is Leaving Me – An AI Cinematic Opera Of The Skin” is inherited memory. Particularly in the context of cultures that are experiencing or have experienced diaspora, memories are regarded as a cross-generational legacy. In her work, therefore, an artificial intelligence is linked to biometric data – such as skin and muscle measurements – and fed with linguistic memories. This results in moving images that, for the most part, distort the original meaning of the memory. Dr Pearlman describes her work as a cinematic and multilingual opera. In her talk, Dr Pearlman will provide an insight into her research and will then invite the audience to an open discussion. Please note: The lecture will be delivered in English and live-subtitled in German using artificial intelligence. The presentation contains sensitive content and is only suitable for children when accompanied by a parent. Admission is free.