At Giorno Poetry Systems (GPS) in New York, a three-day program titled “Exert: The Physics of Metaphysics” featured performances and readings by artists including Mark Leckey, Hari Kunzru, and Gideon Jacobs. The works explored how emerging technologies like AI, VR, and AR are reshaping perceptions of reality and simulation, with Kunzru reading from a novel-in-progress about a man navigating a world where simulation encroaches on everyday life, and Jacobs presenting a performance lecture blending theater, essay, and AI-generated video.
The program matters because it directly confronts a pressing cultural question: as tech companies promise immersive digital worlds, what becomes of embodied experience and truth? By centering the body as a source of knowledge distinct from machine intelligence, the artists challenge the notion that simulation can replace reality, raising ethical stakes for how we design and adopt new technologies. The event underscores a growing artistic resistance to tech-driven narratives that prioritize comfort over authenticity.