UBERMORGEN, Nye THOMPSON, Sillyconductor

UNINVITED Ascension

November 9 - December 10, 2024

 

Amidst an era of rapid digitalization and a culture increasingly dominated by visual communication, we are witnessing a profound transformation in visual language and the way images are perceived and valued. Digital technology has not only reshaped our perception of images but has also elevated their use into an active, meaningful practice that redefines our understanding of reality itself. Today, our access to reality is mediated through cultural codes, and these codes are deeply influenced by the digital fabric of contemporary imagery.

 

“UNINVITED Ascension,” part of the DRAC Drill program, represents a groundbreaking exploration of these shifts, created entirely with the assistance of artificial intelligence. This innovative film interrogates the impact of emerging technologies on our visual and existential experiences. Through its AI-generated text, imagery, and narrative structure, the project underscores the critical role of advanced technologies in shaping contemporary art and culture.

 

The project is a collaborative endeavor by prominent digital artists: UBERMORGEN, the duo Luzius Bernhard & Liz Haas, renowned for their radical and subversive approaches to data; Nye Thompson, celebrated for her data-generating systems that examine the implications of new technological paradigms; and Sillyconductor (Cătălin Matei), a composer and sound designer whose work fuses absurd humor with digital technology. Their unified vision has produced a complex video installation that delves into the dilemmas and anxieties surrounding AI's growing influence.

 

“UNINVITED Ascension” portrays a haunting depiction of how technology observes and redefines humanity. Drawing from a series of micronarratives constructed with images sourced from global CCTV systems and transformed through AI filters, the work offers a provocative perspective on mechanized surveillance in an increasingly monitored world. Designed to evoke reflection, it grapples with the omnipresence of AI in daily life and its implications for privacy, agency, and the human experience.

 

Public discourse surrounding machine learning and artificial intelligence often oscillates between curiosity and unease, fueled by its enigmatic nature and boundless potential. This video installation captures this ambivalence, simultaneously evoking wonder and a subtle uneasiness, as if an omniscient observer is always present. Projected across three channels, the installation draws parallels with the mystical practices of medieval alchemists, whose pursuits resonate with contemporary relationships to AI in three significant ways:

  • Transmutation of metals: AI’s capacity to reshape reality into digital form.
  • Creation of a homunculus: The automation and robotics powered by artificial intelligence.
  • The philosopher’s stone: AI’s “magic” of high-speed data processing, representing a modern pursuit of ultimate solutions.

 

While these alchemical aspirations highlight AI's transformative possibilities, the work also suggests a lingering absence—an incomplete understanding that underscores the necessity of human insight alongside technological advancements.

 

Cultural project co-financed by the Romanian National Cultural Fund Administration


Partners: ARC Gestaltung, International Contemporary Art Center - Turkish Bath Iași, Revista ARTA