Announcing the New Issue of Leonardo Journal

We are pleased to announce the publication of Leonardo, Volume 58, Issue 5, October 2025. This special issue, produced in conjunction with CYFEST 15, focuses on the theme of Vulnerability. We invited an international team of artists, scientists, curators, and scholars to explore diverse perspectives on vulnerability, encompassing the fragility of ecosystems, the vulnerability of memory, the (anti)fragility of human and nonhuman bodies, and the complexities of biological, social, and cyber spaces. This publication accompanies the CYLAND MediaArtLab’s 15th International CYFEST festival of media art.

Highlights from this issue include:

— Brandon Ballengée and collaborators present Memory in the Life of a Cajun Prairie, an interdisciplinary project recreating a native Louisiana Cajun prairie to highlight ecological fragility and the interconnectedness of ecosystems.

— Anton Ginzburg, in his exhibition at Schauwerk Sindelfingen Museum in Germany, presents works that transform digital data into physical artworks, exploring the intersection of algorithmic processes and emotional expression.

— Ellen K. Levy examines vulnerability in complex, human-shaped systems, exploring nonlinear dynamics, generative materials, and the delicate balance that underpins interconnected worlds.

— Lev Manovich investigates generative AI and its impact on personal and collective memory, reflecting on both human vulnerability and aspirations for connection.

— Ellen Pearlman’s Language Is Leaving Me: An AI Cinematic Opera of the Skin confronts the challenge of representing human experience across cultures, highlighting the fragility of expression in technological contexts.

— Alexander Ivanov’s essay serves as a tribute to Phill Niblock (1933–2024), reflecting on his roles as experimental composer, artist, filmmaker, and photographer. It highlights Niblock’s approach to Minimalist intermediality, enhanced perception within audio cultures, and his advocacy for a complex, collaborative approach to art-making. Set against a tribute concert at the 2024 CYFEST in Yerevan, the essay draws on interviews and memories from friends and colleagues to examine Niblock’s legacy.

— Nazareth Karoyan explores the work of Armenian-American artist Charlie G. Hachadourian, demonstrating how conceptual sculpture evolves alongside scientific and technological advances, and how art can mirror the shifting terrains of knowledge.

— Barbara London contributes an essay on Jakob Kudsk Steensen, exploring the artist’s immersive environmental works and the interplay of technology, ecology, and narrative.

— In the Endnote, Alan Boldon emphasizes that vulnerability is not inherently negative, noting that barriers built to avoid risk may also block sensations, ideas, relationships, and possibilities—a perspective echoed by Sha Xin Wei in Contemporary Scholarship: to live fully is to embrace vulnerability.

Editors-in-Chief: Anna Frants, Natalia Kolodzei

With Open Access:

* Charlie G. Hachadourian’s Informational Hollows: “Art Is a Light Thing, Yet You're Making It Way Too Heavy” by Nazareth Karoyan – Free

We thank the authors of this issue, the Leonardo team, and all who have contributed and participated in CYFEST and CYLAND projects.

The October 2025 issue continues Leonardo’s commitment to fostering dialogue between artists, scientists, and technologists, offering insights into contemporary trends and pioneering projects in the field.

The full issue is now available online and in print. Access the articles and explore the new issue here.