The Shadows Left Behind is a collection of photographs transformed by artificial intelligence to digitally invert permanence and ephemerality. Each original photograph captures a human or group of humans in the midst of life. We transform each photograph with Deep Angel, a neural network architecture that erases objects from images, to disappear human bodies. Since Deep Angel lacks any sense of association between humans and our shadows, our shadows are left behind even as our bodies are erased.
In our physical reality, shadows appear as ephemeral occlusions of light by objects. Here, shadows become eternal. It’s the shadows of our actions that remain long after we mortals vanish from the world.
The Shadows Left Behind draws on the aesthetics of absence by revealing what is disappearing around us, by spurring reflection on what we will soon miss, and by decluttering our thoughts to reawaken imagination and agency.
Project Credits:
- This project is supported by the MIT Media Lab and Scalable Cooperation.
Website:
Biographies:
Matt Groh (US) is a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab. He cofounded ELIZA, an artist collective focused on digitally conceptualized media.
http://mattgroh.com/
Zivvy Epstein (US) is a PhD student at the MIT Media Lab. He cofounded ELIZA, an artist collective focused on digitally conceptualized media.
http://zepstein.com/
Nick Obradovich (US) is a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab. He is an Associate Senior Research Scientist at the Max Plank Society’s Center for Humans and Machines.
https://nickobradovich.com/
Iyad Rahwan (SY) is a director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, where he founded and directs the Center for Humans & Machines. He is an Associate Professor of Media Arts & Sciences at the MIT Media Lab.
https://rahwan.me/
Manuel Cebrian (ES) is a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab.
Joyce Feng (US) is an undergraduate student at the MIT Media Lab.
