Gert Aertsen
Gert Aertsen has been working in the field of new media since 2001. He has taken on roles as an artist, organizer, technician, and programmer, collaborating with a wide range of organizations.
He was part of Machine Centred Humanz, a multidisciplinary collective of artists exploring areas such as technology, the arts, robotics, and experimental music. The group produced a wide array of unconventional projects, ranging from networked audiovisual performances and sound installations to artbots. Within Mxhz, Gert Aertsen focused primarily on installations and artbots such as Thoughts Go By Air and Roving Walter Walter. Their projects were presented at Artbots NY, ZKM Karlsruhe, and Tesla Berlin. Together with Pieter Heremans and Hendrik Leper, he launched Code31, an open studio dedicated to research, development, and discussion of techniques and methodologies in the field of media arts. The studio served as a space for experimenting with new technologies and fostering exchange between artistic disciplines, bringing together artists and engineers. One of their final installations was SE/30: Welcome to the 20th Century Back. Although the collective no longer exists, its members continue to collaborate from time to time, including on the presentation of some of their earlier projects.
In 2004, he co-founded OKNO, an artist-run organization based in Brussels, created to oversee three initiatives: Looking Glass, Mxhz, and Code31. During his residency at Overtoon, Gert Aertsen worked on an in situ installation dealing with time and the perception of time.
