ANTENNA is a concept for a generative artwork to be featured on the facade of the M+ Art Museum in Hong Kong.
OVERVIEW
A machine learning model serves as an AI artist which generates artworks influenced by the museum collection, as well as its own conceptual and aesthetic preferences. Its artistic perspective evolves over time in response to curatorial and public feedback to its artwork, and its own continued observations.* content shown on facade is for illustration purposes and is not meant to express concepts / strategy
ROLE
StrategyConcept
Creative Direction
Created at AV&C
CHALLENGE
Create a data-driven artwork for the LED-covered facade of M+'s new Herzog and De Meuron building.STRATEGIC INSIGHTS
M+ highlights modern and contemporary Chinese art from an Asia-centric lensThe museum seeks to make their collection more open and discoverable via an online Collection Database
The site is a government-sponsored new zero carbon emissions cultural district
AI artwork is amongst the most progressive, controversial and sensational mediums in contemporary art
APPROACH
Situated across the Hong Kong skyline, our artwork is a distinct reflection of the city and its culture.Given the museum's focus on an Eastern perspective, we minimized the influence of our Western gaze by envisioning a proxy AI artist, whose artistic perspective has been shaped by (ie trained on) the museum's collection. During exhibitions, it creates works which are ruminations on the shows currently on view, providing glimpses into the museum walls. Like a human artist, its practice is be influenced and shaped by feedback from its curators and audience.
The generative artwork strategically experiments with and amplifies the Collection Database. It also incorporates civic APIs to influence ambient movement across the canvas, making visible the cultural district's net zero infrastructure and features as a historic thoroughfare.
The overall effect is a conceptually and visually groundbreaking artwork which simultaneously connects audiences and drives attention to key stakeholder initiatives to create a rich ecosystem around the institution.
