Live Simulations

Darwin said the greatest live simulation is nature herself, who incessantly tries and fails aloud, never stopping at perfection. But nature is often too fast, too slow, too big, too small for us. We need live simulation at scale with human spacetime, but unending in its variety and blind to our barometers of quality. A live simulation that we can feel, but does not give a fig for us, says artist Ian Cheng. Distorted views, mutated images, and varied texts are exemplary of Cheng’s interest in behavioural change and the potential of working with live simulations. Live Simulations is the first monograph to visualize Cheng’s artistic practice and make its principles tangible in book form.