THE ORACLE, Photo: STANZA

THE ORACLE

Stanza (GB)

⇔ TRANSCENDENCE

The Oracle is a transdisciplinary artwork exploring the future of cities governed by algorithms and acts like a portal. Continuously transforming, the artwork generates an oracular vision of the near future by analysing thousands of city-wide data inputs to make predictive outputs. The machine re-mediates all the collected data, suggesting data consciousness, thereby implying that the artwork is thinking and trying to predict the future.

The Oracle is an expression of the all-seeing eye monitored by artificial intelligence, all at once. It acts as an autonomous brain seeking to render the hidden interactions between humans and non-human agents visible. This artwork speculates how AI will manifest its own “desires” through machine learning patterns and act as a poetic metaphor for invisible agency in our cities. In another sense, the artwork operates between observation, critique and re-imagination, seeking to decipher the landscape to communicate with us.

The data used includes thousands of inputs from weather, pollution, bike locations, buses, trains and news feeds. The main artistic and technical prototype is created with a custom API with neural nets and machine learning capabilities built in—heuristic functions; server scripts create neural nets running over the system. This allows the artwork to feed off AI data in real-time as the AI regenerates new patterns of information seeking constant change.

Bio

  • Photo: Stanza

    Stanza

    GB

    Stanza is an independent artist based in London. Stanza’s artworks have won 20 international art awards including: Vidalife 6.0 First Prize Spain, SeNef Grand Prix Korea, Videobrasil First Prize Brazil, Cynet Art First Prize Germany, Share First Prize Winner Italy. His art has also been rewarded with a prestigious STARTS Residency, Nesta Dreamtime Award, an Arts Humanities Creative Fellowship, and numerous international arts residencies.

Credits

Supported by S+T+ARTS EU and Meet Digital Art Centre Milano.
This project has been developed and is presented in the context of the STARTS in the City project. STARTS in the City has received funding from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology under grant agreement No. LC-01984766.