Radical Software
Tamiko Thiel

In the exhbition Radical Software: Women, Art & Computing 1960–1991 Tamiko Thiel presented original sketches and photos from the Connection Machine era – where art met artificial intelligence for the very first time. After studying Product Design at Stanford University and Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thiel led the product design team at Thinking Machines Corporation from 1983 to 1985, working on the Connection Machines CM-1 and CM-2. From building the first AI supercomputers in the 1980s to creating poetic digital worlds, her work blurs the lines between the mechanical and the mystical.

In the interview Tamiko Thiel reflects upon technology, identity, Japanese culture, the spirit of objects and the soul of machines.