After the turn of the century, Gert Aertsen broke with his background as a classical trained painter to start exploring the possibilities of new media technologies for the use in installations and performances. Since 2001 he has been working as an artist, organizer, technician and programmer, and has collaborated with different organizations. He is a member of Machine Centred Humanz, a multi-disciplinary collective of artists exploring the different fields of technology, arts, robotics, and experimental music. He is one of the core members of Code31, an open studio for research, development and discussion about techniques and methodologies in media art. An initiative which stimulates interchange between several artistic disciplines and serves as the space needed to experiment with new technologies. And in 2004 he co-founded OKNO, an artist run organization based in Brussels.