A HUMAN'S HOUSE AND A POSTHUMAN'S HOUSE

A Human's House and A Posthuman's House Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 12016

I am still 'playing' with ideas of the posthuman! This latest painting plays with concepts of 'house' and 'home'. In September last year I wrote a blog post called HOME where I wrote about various kinds of homes, ranging from houses to planets. I wrote about why people might flee homes, mass exodus and concepts of new homes. But, in keeping with my current interest in the posthuman, as a place or an entity or both, I wondered what a posthuman house would be like. 

THE POSTHUMAN

So...the posthuman's 'house' might be THE POSTHUMAN ie: the presence, time and place combined...no separation. Why? Well...can you imagine a posthuman, like a downloaded mind, 'returning home' to a place? Wouldn't it already be 'home', embedded within its algorithmic 'instruction'? However, if a posthuman entity, such as a completely synthetic 'embodied' artificial intelligence, needed shelter then maybe it would like to have a 'house' as a home? But, maybe its 'body' could be the house? I mean, it's not like it would get cold or hot, wet or tired. However, if it needs to protect itself from radiation or other contaminants, then maybe a 'house' would be necessary?

POST-EARTH

If the Posthuman is a place, time or entity in the far distant future it might not involve Earth at all. It could be post-Earth as well as post-human. The sun's eventual demise means that a post-Earth situation will occur in billios of years time due to the solar system's demise along with the sun.  Humanity's chance to return to star dust? Yes!  Because our remains will be scattered along with Earth across space and the universe. 

So, if there was no alternative being/entity that could be classed as a posthuman, then maybe the posthuman is actually a time when we humans return to the stars? 

A Human's House and A Posthuman's House

In this new painting I have had fun with two houses - one is a human's house and the other is a posthuman's house. Yep...that's right!

The human house is a typical construction that anyone would identify as a house. The posthuman house is 'built' with four layers of binary code 'instructing' ...'House'. The pathway leading up the posthuman house is lined with zeros and ones, whereas the human house has a pathway of steps. The posthuman house's roof is a caret symbol indicating a space, whereas the human house's roof is attached to the building. Entering the posthuman house seems impossible, whereas entry to the human house seems possible, even welcoming.

TREE-OF-LIFE

The human house has a tree! Yes, it could be any old garden variety tree, but to me it is my much loved trans-cultural/religious tree-of-life. As regular readers know the tree-of-life visually and conceptually ties my work together...in an exploration of life past, current and into the future. It acts as a beacon across time and space, especially in my cosmic inspired paintings. I class A Human's House and A Posthuman's House as being cosmic. Thus, it is one of my 'cosmic landscapes', with an 'urban' theme!

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com