The artistic aspect is the ‘dancer’ (Gary Zukav) [7] in the machine. There is an embryonic potentiality for embodied intelligence, soft robotics, and engineering if we emphasise the artistic aspect and employ it as an indispensable element. Art is less weighted in science, technology, and engineering than functionalities and applications. Equivalently, there is a potential under-explored advantage of science and technology-based artistic creation instead of individualistic improvisation, interpretation, and expression. Starting from the philosophical and scientific question, What is life? this paper reviewed influential theories from entropy, ‘code-script’ by Erwin Schrödinger, ‘wetware’, cell compartmentation by Paul Nurse, sentient machine by Anil Seth, to the ‘Dance’ by Gary Zukav, the ‘30 000’ organ by Denis Noble, the 100,000 protein sonification by Markus Buehler, and a bio-inspired composition by Alberto Carretero using P-system. With my research on cell-inspired audio-visual works The Cell Planet using Touch Designer, music creation for the Protein Misfolding project, and the soft-robotic inspired biomimetic textiles and art, this paper provides solutions for integrating technology, science, engineering, and art from a deeper, experimental, and philosophical context.
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