Model Collapse

Model Collapse / Tetem - Photo: Model / Tessa Wiegerinck

Model Collapse

Tetem (NL)

In the immersive exhibition Model Collapse, Cyanne van den Houten and Ymer Marinus depict the landscape from which generative AI emerges. From relics, artefacts, and past stories, they reveal the self-consuming origins of AI systems rooted in resource and data extraction.

Model Collapse features cyber sculptures with algorithmically defined forms and characters. These sculptures or entities resist dominant narratives tied to AI’s creation, each telling stories of mystification, gender bias, non-Western algorithmic traditions, ecological impact, and hidden labor. Visitors engage with the sculptures by typing a query to a central AI interface. A local language model locates the query in the digital realm, awakening the relevant sculpture so it can share its knowledge. The visitor’s input dynamically sets the scene, activating the sculptures’ generative digital biome. This interaction sparks a chain of events—what starts with a few words ripples through multiple dimensions. New insights emerge, and invisible pathways inside AI systems are revealed.

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  • Model Collapse

    Cyanne van den Houten (NL), Ymer Marinus (SE)

    Model Collapse is an immersive exhibition that explores the hidden landscape behind generative AI. Through cyber sculptures and relics, it reveals the origins of AI in resource and data extraction. Visitors interact with a local AI, triggering the sculptures to share their knowledge and stories.

Credits

Cyanne van den Houten I Ymer Marinus I Telemagic I Tetem I Stimuleringsfonds I Creatieve Industrie I K.F. Hein Fonds

Please note: The program for the Ars Electronica Festival 2025 is still in progress.
We are currently preparing all the information for the website and plan to put the full program online in the coming days – stay tuned!