Pixel Of The Sea

2024, 1m×1m

3D printings in acrylic boxes pinned on canvas, turpentine, water, arduino, switchable films, white sand

"Pixel of the Sea" interrogates the boundary between the organic and the algorithmic. It features 25 3D-printed virtual organisms submerged in acrylic boxes filled with a turpentine and water solution on a 1m x 1m canvas. These installations, functioning as biological microchips, are overlaid with switchable glass that mimics breathing rhythms, oscillating between transparency and obscurity. This reflects an aesthetic that superimposes industrial grid logic onto organic fluidity.

This work extends the inquiry of "The Lens of AI," positioning the algorithm as a decomposer in cyberspace that breaks down complex biological history into structured data. The fossils, sourced from Folkestone and Charmouth, underpin an exploration of macroscopic and microscopic contrasts. By encasing these 3D structures like specimens in a futuristic archive, the work challenges perceptions of visibility and preservation, questioning what is lost when the natural world is flattened into the digital landscape.

Are humans the measure of all things?

We are far removed from the time when Plato first posed this question. As a computational artist, I have long been committed to integrating technology and art, positioning myself between the microscopic and the vast scales, exploring the juxtaposition of different elements and the interweaving of time. I strive to consider, from a de-anthropocentrism perspective, how we can organically shape a future vision alongside all things.

This project prompted a renewed exploration into the concept of measurement. I visualized my artistic territory as a square canvas, with its side length representing a standardized unit within any given space. Accordingly, I encapsulated the AI-generated decomposer organisms within a 10cm by 10cm specimen box, positioning it on a 1m by 1m canvas. The intent is for the work to function as a foundational unit for constructing larger forms, embodying a sense of order, elegance, and potential for expansion. This modular approach suggests a framework that is standardized yet versatile, allowing continuous development.