Thinking through the intersectional and intergenerational AI adjacent artworks of Rebecca Allen, Rashaad Newsome and Kinnari Saraiya, this paper explores the notion of the human brain as a sophisticated machine that has the remarkable capacity to render multiple realities in which we perform our beliefs. These feminist, decolonial, queer performance works challenge the prevailing Eurocentric framework by acknowledging that multiple realities can exist simultaneously and without pathology.
As humans, we are not confined to mere perception; instead, our brains actively engage in the process of rendering and creating diverse realities. Thus, the Human animal is both a self-sustaining (autopoietic) being and a creator who can influence the external world (allopoietic). We have the magical ability to self-maintain, allowing our bodies to regenerate cells, repair tissues, and maintain internal stability despite changes in the external environment. But what is even more extraordinary is our capacity to transcend this autopoiesis and venture into the realm of creation and innovation.
In this duality, we are capable of not only shaping our own existence but also producing the tools to shape the external objects which impact on the world around us. Through our creativity and intelligence, we can create art, build infrastructure, and develop technology. This inherent ability to render multiple realities and impact the external world has allowed us to evolve into complex societies and cultures.
While this simultaneous manifestation of both autopoietic and allopoietic aspects is most evident in humans, we can find similarities in other organisms and systems. Social insect colonies, certain plant systems, some AI systems such as “artificial life” and ecological systems also exhibit dual elements of self-sustaining autonomy and external interactions and modifications.
This paper builds on the ideas of Maria Lugones and Sylvia Wynter to rethink Human performance as praxis. In essence, it will invite us to move beyond the surface level of performance and delve deeper into the profound implications of human actions. This perspective encourages us to consider performance not just as a mere act of showmanship but as a vehicle for social transformation where humanness is understood as a non-hierarchical, fluid category.