A Still Life Sculpture(A Huddled Man)
full-color sandstone(3D printed sculpture)
2016

A Still Life Sculpture (Huddled Man) is a full-color 3d printed sculpture. The model of the sculpture is reconstructed through a photogrammetry tool with a series of photos of a huddled man. However, the photos used were recreated and enhanced by Google DeepDream’s* artificial neural network. This project takes advantage of the low-level layers analysis of DeepDream which are sensitive to basic features such as color and geometry-based features. Instead of interpreting original photos into conventional psychedelic and animal-like images( which is from medium-level and high-level layers analysis), the outcome in three dimension presents a painting-like texture combined with a surreal form.

The Low-level layers analysis of Deepdream shows how Ai perceive the world with a glance rather than an over-processed verdict. Every seen subject is equal for the artificial neural network of the computer vision. Pixels of a desk are as important as that of a living creature. The recognition mechanism can be regarded as searching for the link between data(seen) and data(trained) — from one abiotic thing to another abiotic thing. Then, for the artificial neural network, every glance is A STILL LIFE. While the glance reveals the weak neural fire, the observation is strong. It is reviewing pixel by pixel, capturing all information and recreating them in an enhanced way: from the color reflected from the environment to a pleat in shadow. It builds a gestalt through reconstructing all these sharp impressions into a 3d object.

*Google DeepDream is a computer vision program created by Google which uses a convolutional neural network to find and enhance patterns in images via algorithmic pareidolia, thus creating a dreamlike hallucinogenic appearance in the deliberately over-processed images.

静物雕塑(蜷曲的人)
全彩砂岩(3D打印雕塑)
2016

静物雕塑是利用谷歌Deep Dream(人工神经网络算法) 为主体所“观察”到的图像为素材,通过摄影测量法(photo-grammetry)所生成的。在此观察行为当中,所有被观察的客体(无论是生物非生物,人与非人)皆被人工神经网络视为像素(数据)并加以分析处理。即在此行为中,人的主体性被消解、物化,从而成为一种静物(still life)

photo by Lan Xing