Lost in diffusion (2024)
A small writeup on my artistic research project "lost in diffusion" I presented last week at museumnacht. I create work with "found data" but a large part of this project was creating new data in relation to the starting data. More info on the data and algorithms for this project can be found here
CAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DESIGN AND GENERATE A CHAIR?
Lost In Diffusion is an attempt to better understand the role of algorithms and AI models in relation to a museum collection. Together with Design Museum Ghent, I started exploring their digital collection, using AI, algorithms and my gut feeling. AI has proven supportive in turning archival data into accessible, interconnected, and intelligible information. However, its potential in "generating" new data in meaningful ways is a domain largely left untapped. Given access to the collection database, containing both metadata and images on the design objects represented in the collection of the museum I finetuned a diffusion model in an attempt to make the machine understand not only the intricacies of design, as defined through the (diffuse) scope of the collection, but also to generate a model that could potentially act as a co-agent, next to the designer, in the process of design. Putting this model to the test, the results were shown during Museumnacht both in the form of an interactive kiosk which allows the visitor to explore parts of the museum collection using results from the workshop at Mutation Festival. But also as data input for the visual backdrop of the Algorave, a live performance where creative-coding, music and graphic design intersect.
the collection explorer
The resulting collection can be explored in a playfull way using a purpose built kiosk, containing three CRT screens and a controller built from found hardware. While exploring the collection, the installation is also creating sound. The athmospheric and sometimes rhythmic sound invites the user to keep exploring. Effects can be added to images of the collection. These were contributed by participants of the live coding workshop at Mutationfest.
