Ed Fornieles: LUCA

LUCA is a new work by Ed Fornieles for the Artlab Digital Commissions program, where their growth and evolution are driven by site visits and interactions. Fornieles responded to the necessity for community collaboration rooted in Artlab’s Digital Commission program by encouraging site visitors to foster LUCA’s growth.

Fornieles uses data and digital platforms to create art that bridges the online and offline worlds. His works often involve real-time information and social media interactions to explore contemporary power structures. LUCA is an extension of the artist’s Fini series, which gives financial currencies an identity by personifying them as creatures— revealing the emotional ties humans form with abstract concepts. The project engages with cultural trends such as the power of cuteness, video game storytelling, personification of technology (e.g., Clippy), digital-born artworks, and the evolution of digital preservation.

LUCA, whose name stands for “Last Universal Common Ancestor,” is inspired by the hypothetical origin of all life on earth, the basic cellular structure from which all living beings evolved. As a digital being, LUCA’s growth is driven by user interaction on Artlab’s website. The project opens a meta-dialogue of how attention, interaction, and connection relate directly to the life cycle of technology and digital art. LUCA’s existence and evolution prompt viewers to consider how digital art must be engaged with to grow and remain relevant.

The Fini series uses cuteness to foster connection. Here, LUCA is nurtured by visits and “touch,” highlighting the role of online communities in the evolution of digital entities. The project emphasizes the potential for empathy and connection across global networks facilitated by digital platforms, including Hyundai Artlab.