Memo Akten | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 (age 49–50) |
| Citizenship | Turkish |
| Alma mater | Boğaziçi University (BSc), Goldsmiths, University of London (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Multidisciplinary artist, Computer scientist & Researcher |
| Website | www |
Memo Akten (born 1975) is a Turkish-born multidisciplinary artist, computer scientist and researcher. [1] His work explores human machine entanglements through speculative simulations and data dramatizations, often engaging with themes of ecology, technology, spirituality, and collective intelligence. [1] He serves as Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego. [2]
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1975, Akten holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. [3] Later in 2021 he completed a PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London in Artificial Intelligence, in which he developed what he calls “Deep Visual Instruments”: interactive systems that use deep neural networks as a creative medium, while ensuring real-time, continuous, and meaningful human control. [4]
Akten’s practice spans a wide variety of media, including moving images, sound, poetry, dance, light, performance, and installations. [5] In 2011, he co-founded the art-technology studio Marshmallow Laser Feast where he worked as creative and technical director. [6] He left the studio in 2014 to focus on his PhD and his personal research. [4] Akten’s technical and artistic leadership spans early works involving interactive real-time projection mapping, light and laser control, as well as later works that engage deeply with deep neural networks and Artificial Intelligence. [7]
In the field of academics, Akten is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego. [2] He has presented research at major conferences, including NeurIPS and SIGGRAPH, connecting his artistic practice to scientific inquiry. [4] In 2024, he co-founded Superradiance Lab with Katie Hofstadter, establishing an interdisciplinary research space that explores consciousness, intelligence, and planetary systems through embodied experience and emerging technologies. [8]
Akten’s work has been exhibited at venues such as the Venice Biennale, Barbican, Grand Palais, Mori Art Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, and others. [9] [10] His works are held in collections including Borusan Contemporary, the Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation and the Vanhaerents Art Collection. [4] [11]
Akten has collaborated with notable figures and brands including U2, Depeche Mode, Lenny Kravitz, Richard Dawkins, Google, Apple, Twitter, and Sony. [12] He has served as a mentor and jury member for international conferences and awards, including Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, and Google Arts & Culture. [12]