MY POSTHUMANS ARE DANCING, BUT DO THEY HAVE HEARTS?

My Posthumans Are Dancing, But Do They Have Hearts? Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm

MY POSTHUMAN TRIBE

I am still fascinated by posthumans. In fact I've painted a tribe of them over the last months! And, here are two more. These two are dancing. Why? Well, when thinking about the posthuman ie: a place and/or an entity from the far distant future, when humans no longer exist, I wonder about all sorts of things. Some say we are already posthuman, but I think that idea is driven by identity questions and issues, rather than existence ones. 

DANCING

So, why are my new posthumans dancing? And, why do I ask if they have hearts? If a posthuman entity was some kind of downloaded mind, would it have a facility to 'know' what dancing is or is like? Would it have a sensation of movement? Would it appreciate the dynamism of dancing with someone else? Would it improvise? Would it tire or know what a tired sensation is like? Would it be aware of spectators? Would spectators marvel at the dancer's strength and grace?

HEARTS?

So, to the question about hearts. I love to dance. My daughter loves to dance. We both feel it in our bodies and our hearts, although I apparently dance in a very old fashioned way! Our hearts pump faster for sure, but the joy and vibrancy of dancing is not just about physical movement. It involves a connection to music, to others, to imagination. It connects you to the rhythms of the earth...hey the whole universe! Could a posthuman downloaded mind or a completely synthetic being experience these things?  Could it say " I love to dance or I love dancing"?

I've tried to imagine posthumans dancing. My two, in this new painting, look like they are dancing. Their tree-of-life limbs seem hopeful but the binary code running down their 'bodies' - 00111111 instructs a ? - this question mark/code poses lots of questions about form, embodiment, structure, reality, the future and it also 'asks', due to its positioning, "Where is the heart?". But, it's not just asking about a literal heart is it?

"Where is the heart?" could be a good question to ask even now. As previously mentioned, some people think we are already posthuman...maybe it's because when we question the human identity we are really questioning where our hearts are?

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

P.S. Scroll through my other recent posts and you will find more of my posthumans!