Biography
Brian A. Korgel is the Edward S. Hyman Chair in Engineering and T. Brockett Hudson Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He directs the Industry/University Research Center (I/UCRC) for Next Generation Photovoltaics, the Emerging Technologies area of the UT|Portugal program and serves as Associate Editor of the journal Chemistry of Materials. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCLA in 1997 and was a post-doctoral fellow at University College Dublin, Ireland, in the Department of Chemistry. He works at the intersection of nano & mesoscopic materials chemistry and complex fluids, tackling problems in lithium ion batteries, photovoltaic devices and medicine. He has given more than 260 invited talks and has published 240 papers. He has been Visiting Professor at the University of Alicante in Spain, the Universite Josef Fourier in France and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He has co-founded two companies, Innovalight and Pinon Technologies, and received various honors including the Professional Progress Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and election to Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Projects
1. Based on an observation of Patent-Bot nonce words while discussing machine learning with Neil in Rappongi Japan (during my family vacation)
Artist: Brian Korgel
Dimensions: variable
Materials: 1/2" thick polyvinyl chloride, velcro
Year: 2017
Description:
Words invented by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program, Patent-Bot, change periodically throughout the duration of exhibition. The AI program does not know the English language, but approximates it based on a character-based system of analysis. The program teaches itself to read and write using the US Patent Database, generating these words as a projection of future ideas.
Brian Korgel, based on an observation of Patent-Bot nonce words while discussing machine learning with
Neil in Rappongi Japan (during my family vacation), 2017
2. Title: Patrick called me right away while James texted, "what the f--- was that??")
Artist: Brian Korgel
Dimensions: variable
Materials: media player, pedestal, book, headphones
TRT: 32 min.
Year 2017
Description:
This work is an audio narrative written by the artist using new words generated by Patent-Bot, an Artificial Intelligence program. Patent-Bot analyzes the language used in the US Patent database and approximates new words to describe future ideas based on the formal parameters of the English language. The narratives presented here are written in the voice of a robot's inner monologue, struggling to find context and meaning when presented with a foreign language.
Click here to listen to the narratives.
3. Proposal: Empathy Mirror
Artists: Brian Korgel
Dimensions: 48" x 36"
Materials: digital printed banner
Year: 2017
Description:
A proposal presented in science poster format for a technology interface that allows people to lean empathy using several emerging innovations. The interface is designed to enable users to virtually step into someone else's shoes, and experience the world from another perspective. This proposal was submitted by Jeff Blum, Rachel Field, Youngmoo Kim, Rieko Yajima and has been approved for funding by the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI).
The exhibition is now on at Visual arts centre in UT Austin. The exhibit closes on February 24th.Click here to have a look at the exhibition guide.
