Rhizomatic Futures
[Multiplicities in Motion]“All that you touch You Change.
All that you Change Changes you.
The only lasting truth is Change.
God is Change.”
- Octavia Butler
Decay is imminent. Humans are intensifying it.
This art installation explores some of the contemporary ways in which humans are contributing to a decaying world. Rising sea levels, rising fascism, pumping more oil and gas in our backyards, the excessive strain we are putting on the power grid using new technologies like AI: This installation explores humans' impact on the world in various ways, as well as exploring behaviors and strategies to help combat some of these issues..
There are immersive projected graphics using an algorithmic simulacrum of physarum networks and other generative content fitting the themes that will be interacted with by people moving through the space using an overhead sensor. In addition to the movements of people through the room, the physarum network is driven by data from the open source data provided by “Climate TRACE” and open source data on the price gouging landlords are doing in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton fires. The lighting, video, and audio is on a timer that will turn off everything in the space for a duration of 1 minute. This length of time is an uncomfortable amount of time in an art gallery setting for nothing to be happening. This timer leading to the imminent shutdowns represents the timeline we are all on for addressing the climate issues we face.
On a pedestal in the space there is a button. The button toggles realtime AI graphics. An AI model generates graphics in real time to fill the projected space. With this button pressed, the timer until the next blackout speeds up by double. This commentary addresses how AI and other new technologies are decreasing the timeline we have before climate collapse. In addition to the timer shortening, during the playback of AI imagery, the lighting will flicker and dim to represent the strain on the power grid.
There is an easter egg for viewers willing to cooperate to achieve it. When people stand on predetermined places in the space (marked with stickers on the floor) the timer speed decreases by half and projected on the floor is a connecting grid between the stickers showing that their cooperation has created a network between people that has increased the time we have to enjoy the artwork.
The back room of the space has artworks on the walls for sale. These works are in the theme of decay, subversion, and glitch.
The Theory
Everything visually within this artwork is rhizomatic. When someone makes the decision to use AI - a singular button pressed by a singular person - the system changes for everyone into arborescent graphics running through an AI model. The AI model itself is arborescent with its decision trees or “Diffusion Boosted Trees” used to make the content visually seen. This may feel novel or exciting to view, however it is short lived because the timer on the content is shortened down making that singular person’s decision to change the content for everyone one that shortens everyone’s experience of it. The decision is inherently selfish. The parallels here between the exhibition and hierarchical system’s we are born into and forced to participate in should be obvious, but adding this sentence hopefully further highlights them.
When people experiencing the exhibit self-organize cooperatively within the space to achieve the state in which the timer extends, they are doing so out of a motivation to experience the exhibit for longer. The visuals will be come more connective and the duration will increase. This is the collaborative and non-hierarchical structure we need to build to keep this planet alive and inhabitable.
Art by b1n4ry
Audio by Morher
Guest Artwork in Gallery by Halo Mechanic