← WORKSHOP

Tecno-ecologies: posthuman audiovisual explorations with TouchDesigner — by Marta Maglio and Giacomo Baccega

From 28/03/2026 to 03/05/2026

Recontemporary presents Tecno-ecologies: posthuman audiovisual explorations with TouchDesigner, curated by Giacomo Baccega and Marta Maglio. The workshop explores hybrid creativity at the intersection of generative visual design, interactivity, and sound, adopting a posthuman perspective. The theoretical-practical workshop program is divided into an introductory meeting, four thematic online modules, and a final in-person day.

The series opens with a lecture-panel discussion with Davide Marcianesi, an interdisciplinary artist and designer. The event explores practices at the intersection of artistic and scientific research, speculative design, and methodologies for imagining narratives of—and with—the nonhuman. It also encourages discussion and sharing among participants.

The online sessions explore languages ​​and techniques in TouchDesigner—software for interactive audiovisual design—and offer theoretical insights at the intersection of artistic disciplines, media archaeology, sociological studies, and posthuman philosophies.

The online modules are:
1) Generative Design & Data Visualization, 2) Motion Tracking and Operational Images, 3) Visualizing Sound and Sonifying the Image, 4) AI: Narrations and Biases.

The in-person workshop, Synesthesia for Nonhumans, aims to explore practices and methodologies of interspecies imagination and storytelling. Microcontrollers, sensors, and obsolete hardware, such as Arduino and Kinect, will be integrated and explored in depth. The approach favors participatory discussion and hands-on experimentation, encouraging the sharing of methodologies and the collective exploration of relational aesthetics.

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Activities

  • Introductory meeting and in-person talk with Davide Marcianesi
    Recontemporary, March 28, 2026, 2:30–6:30 PM

    • Introduction to the workshop and presentation of the teachers, their practices, the hosting space, and the participants;
    • Reflection on posthuman philosophical and artistic perspectives and practices for narrating in the nonhuman;
    • Presentation of Davide Marcianesi's practices and research;
    • Shared and participatory discussion.
  • ONLINE MODULES

    1. Generative Design & Data Visualization (online, April 1, 7-9 pm)
    • Introduction to the interface and node types in TouchDesigner;
    • Parametric and procedural graphic design;
    • Data: material for visual generation;
    • Critical reflections on data and "data-centrism" through the work of Donata Columbro.

    Motion Tracking and Operational Images (online, April 8, 2026, 7-9 pm)
    • Motion tracking techniques and real-time motion analysis;
    • Using Mediapipe in TouchDesigner;
    • Techniques for translating physical gestures into digital signals;
    • Reflections on operational images in the works of Harun Farocki and Jussi Parikka.

    Visualizing Sound and Sonifying the Image (online, April 15, 2026, 7-9 pm)
    • The relationship between audio and image: video clips, AV performances, DJ sets;
    • Analysis of sound data as input for visual generation;
    • Analysis of visual data as input for sound generation;
    • Critical rereading of the "device" starting from the work of Jean Baudrillard, Karen Barad, and Giorgio Agamben.

    AI: Narrations and Biases (online, April 22, 2026, 7-9 pm)
    • AI methodologies and tools for producing static and animated visual content;
    • Introduction to the main AI models used in the creative field;
    • In-depth study of the use of StreamDiffusion integrated into TouchDesigner;
    • AI and biases: criticism of AI in the texts of Kate Crawford, Vladan Joler and Diletta Huyskes.
  • IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
    Synesthesia for Nonhumans
    Recontemporary, May 3, 2026, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    • Storytelling for Nonhumans: Theories, Practices, and Technologies for Interspecies and Posthuman Narratives;
    • Introduction to the Use of Microcontrollers, Arduino, and Sensors;
    • Circuit Bending, Electronics, and Kinect: How to Reuse Obsolete Technologies;
    • Individual and Shared Methodologies and Projects for Narrating in the Nonhuman;
    • Applied Experimentation and Participatory Discussion.

Infos and costs

Costs:
• Talk & online modules → €250
• Final in-person workshop → €125
• Complete package → €320
Modality: Hybrid
Language: Italian

Prerequisites

A minimal propensity towards multimedia languages ​​is required, but previous knowledge of the software is not necessary.

Reseve a spot

write us at info@recontemporary.com

Embodied Interface

Embodied Interface was born in early 2022 from the intersection of shared research interests and artistic practice, influenced by posthuman studies and driven by the desire to structure spaces for sharing and speculation on human, technological, and interspecies co-becoming.
The collective was born following collaborations that began during their shared studies at NABA in Milan, during the master's degree they both earned in New Art Technologies, and continued thereafter in various collaborations.

Davide Marcianesi

Davide Marcianesi is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Milan, whose projects lie at the intersection of artistic and scientific research, speculative design, and temporary installations. His practice explores themes of death, necropolitics, and the complex relationships between humans and other species, from both a postnatural and posthuman perspective. In recent years, he has collaborated with the Institute for Postnatural Studies and TBA21 Academy (Madrid), Umanesimo Artificiale (Fano), and 2050+ (Milan) on projects related to these themes.