III. Machines, Dreams, and Journeying Through Time

At this event, science fiction writer Bao Shu and artist CAO Shu will explore how AI influences human experiences of time, and challenges traditional perceptions of reality—through the lenses of science fiction literature and digital media art.

Bao Shu’s science fiction work has long focused on artificial intelligence, quantum concepts of time, and the construction of memory. Drawing from his daily creative practices, he will discuss how machines impact human temporal experiences, emulate the nonlinear narratives of dreams, and use text and image generation to shape psychedelic and absurd imagery.

Cao Shu examines its role in image production, the construction of collective memory, and historical representation, while also reflecting on the logic of time travel as expressed in digital media. His recent work Diffusion explores the metaphorical relationship between AI-generated fragmented human forms and historical photographs of nuclear radiation, as well as the connection between photographic technology and the deceased.

Their dialogue will center on the concept of time in philosophy of technology, science fiction literature, and contemporary art. They will explore how technology shapes perceptions of reality and narratives of the future, touching on topics such as future intimate relationships, the impact of digital technology on the sense of "reality," and how science fiction thinking can offer new perspectives on history and the future.

This session will be moderated by Wu Yiyao, Curator of Public Practice at UCCA.

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The parallel dialogue series " Symbiosis and Temporal Flow", jointly initiated by UCCA Center for Contemporary Art and the Berggruen Research Center at Peking University, aims to explore the resonance and collaboration between researchers from diverse scientific disciplines, philosophical thinkers, and contemporary artists. The series engages with topics such as "altruistic mechanisms" and "self-awareness", encouraging exchanges from multiple perspectives and examining how diachronic intertextual mechanisms can be formed within authentic and continuous experiences of time.

The three conversations in this series will invite scholars from fields such as biology, medical anthropology, and science fiction writing, to engage in dialogue with artists who have experience in cross-media practices.

The series is initiated and orgnized by Berggruen China’s LI Xiaojiao and LIU Yuanyuan, and UCCA’s WU Yiyao and WANG Youyou.

Speakers

About the UCCA

The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art is China’s premier museum of modern and contemporary art. Committed to the belief that art can deepen lives and transcend boundaries, UCCA presents a wide range of exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives across four architecturally and programmatically distinct locations. Owned by a group of committed patrons, it is funded by donations, sponsorship, ticketing, and proceeds from the commercial activities of UCCA Lab. UCCA has presented more than 200 exhibitions and welcomed more than ten million visitors since its founding in Beijing in 2007 as the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art.

The UCCA is currently presenting “Anicka Yi: There Exists Another Evolution, But In This One” between March 22, 2025, and June 15, 2025, the artist’s first solo exhibition in China and her most extensive presentation to date, featuring nearly 40 works. This exhibition offers a profound entry point into Anicka Yi’s multisensory universe of biology, technology, philosophy, and art, in a bold yet nuanced reflection of the human experience against the background of systems in flux.