“Nature makes a perfect counter-ideal to technology for several reasons. Nature (that which is outside the power of the system) is the opposite of technology (which seeks to expand indefinitely the power of the system).”
— Ted Kaczynski, Industrial Society and Its Future, 1995, §184.
cérebros, distantes - Distant—brains explores contemporary relationships between robots, humans and plants through a sequence of episodes in factories, universities, laboratories and hospitals. In these settings, robots interact with other intelligent species, opening questions about how technology changes the ways we work, collaborate and coexist.
Conceived as both an archaeology and a memory of the present, the project reflects a society in transition. It extends Nuno Cera’s investigation into the relationships between technology, society and nature, bringing often distant environments and processes into view.
Developed in collaboration with Julia Albani, Joana Rafael and contributors from science, criticism and music, the project comprises a video installation, a photographic series and a publication featuring previously unpublished texts by David Santos, Eva Mendes, Jaime Ulisses Martins-Barata and Joana Rafael.
Collaborations
Systems and Robotics Laboratory, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon; 1825 – Research Studio for Architectural Visualization, Lisbon; Berlin Botanical Garden, Germany; Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Archive, Wolfsburg, Germany. Residency Bridges to the Unknown, Art-Science Residency Programme, Fundação Champalimaud
Support
Portuguese Republic – Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport / DGARTES Visual Arts Support; Museu do Neo-Realismo, Vila Franca de Xira.
Video 4K; stereo; 36 min 30 s; text in Portuguese and english
Concept: Nuno Cera in collaboration with Julia Albani; Directed by Nuno Cera; Text by Joana Rafael; Edited by Nuno Cera; Audio postproduction by Eduardo Vinhas
© Nuno Cera (2023-2026)