HYUNDAI MOTOR CONNECTS ART AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGH PIONEERING NEUROSCIENCE CONCEPT WITH LACMA

 Hyundai Motor is pleased to announce its continuing collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), introducing <The Roadable Synapse> as part of the ‘Art+Technology LAB’. The project examines how the fields of art and technology converge through the artist’s vision for a neuroscientifically-driven concept car.

Hyundai Motor worked with conceptual artist Jonathon Keats to advance <The Roadable Synapse> idea, which presents a speculative alternative to driverless car technology. Technical advisors from the South Korean car manufacturer worked with the artist to investigate how the user’s cognitive processes could be interpreted to provide novel sensory experiences while driving.

<The Roadable Synapse> is inspired by Keats’ ongoing questions about the development of driverless cars and their effects on automobile technology and culture. Keats’ inquiries led him to identify four features which accentuate the link between art and neuroscience technology.

In Keats’ concept, this connection was made manifest as adjustable audio effects generated by the Hyundai IONIQ that stimulate the user’s perception while driving. Vehicle speed is conveyed to the driver by adjusting the tempo of the soundtrack playing on the stereo system; autobody aerodynamics are conveyed by adjusting the left-right speaker balance, vehicle RPM with an increase or decrease in soundtrack pitch, and driving efficiency by the level of audio distortion.

Hyundai Motor is the presenting sponsor of the ‘Art+Technology LAB’ program, which is also supported by technology companies including Google, SpaceX, Accenture, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). This program originates from the legendary ‘Art and Technology Program’ that ran from 1967 to 1971 and involved world renowned artists such as James Turrell, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Irwin, Andy Warhol, and Claes Oldenberg.

Hyundai Motor participated in the initiative from 2015 as part of a long-term partnership with LACMA, commencing with ‘The Hyundai Project at LACMA’. Since then, more than 20 artists have received grant funding and technical support for ideas that combine art and technology.

In April, a Hyundai Santa Fe car was used by a 3D scanning studio – ScanLAB Projects – in their <Post-lenticular Landscapes> ‘Art+Technology LAB’ project. This exhibit captured vast panoramas of Yosemite National Park and converted them into a digital diorama that was presented inside the car.

“Spearheaded by Project IONIQ, Hyundai Motor’s ongoing commitment is to create innovative mobility solutions enabling movement that is entirely free of limitations, enhancing the future lifestyles of our customers,” John Suh, Vice President at Hyundai Motor, said. “We are constantly exploring how new forms of mobility can help us overcome current transportation limitations. Engaging with art and technology projects allows us to explore this field in entirely new ways.”

“For me, this collaboration has presented a remarkable opportunity to explore the future of transportation with a company that is at the forefront of that industry,” says Keats. “I have benefited greatly from the expertise of John Suh and Hyundai engineers, as well as the support of LACMA, all of which has allowed me to challenge conventional thinking with The Roadable Synapse.”

Besides the Art+Technology LAB, Hyundai has supported LACMA through art and technology exhibitions and acquisitions, Korean art studies, print on demand publications, and many other initiatives. In addition, Hyundai Motor is partnered with Tate Modern in London, UK, and MMCA, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, in Seoul, Korea. Each association forms part of an overall project to contribute to the development of a sustainable art environment that delivers inspiration and unique experiences to all areas of the world.

Coming up in October, the ‘Hyundai Commission’ at Tate Modern will reveal an installation work by Danish artists SUPERFLEX, followed by the opening of the ‘MMCA Hyundai Motor Series’ in Korea with artist and film director Heungsoon Im in November.

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