In this project I did several attempts to unite the subjective art world with the so-called objective world of big data and algorithms. I investigated how I can produce new works of art by writing an algorithm for it. While writing this algorithm, I found out that algorithms do not operate as objective as we sometimes think. With the art world as my battleground, my aim is to show that algorithms are as subjective as our own human gut feeling. This project is an ongoing extensive research into the subjectivity of algorithms.
In this project I did several attempts to unite the subjective art world with the so-called objective world of big data and algorithms. I investigated how I could produce new works of art by writing an algorithm for it. While writing this algorithm, I found out that algorithms do not operate as objective as we sometimes think. With the art world as my battleground, my aim is to show that algorithms are as subjective as our own human gut feeling. This project is an ongoing extensive research into the subjectivity of algorithms.
Can I write an algorithm that suggests new artworks? (suggestions printed on museum signs)
01
While examining the artwork data, I noticed how subjective this data was. I formulated a new question: ‘what if algorithms become subjective?’ In the process of answering this question, I started training an object-detection algorithm to make subjective value judgements.
04
Ask artists to create an artwork according to a suggestion of my algorithm.
03
Subjective algorithm at work. (Click full screen to enlarge videos)
05
Collect and classify thousands and thousands of images
07
Analyze new works
08
Create an app that gives the user insight in how my subjective algorithm learned. Try out the app here.
06
(The Process)
Can I write an algorithm that suggests new artworks? (suggestions printed on museum signs)
Ask artists to create an artwork according to a suggestion of my algorithm.
03
While examining the artwork data, I noticed how subjective this data was. I formulated a new question: ‘what if algorithms become subjective?’ In the process of answering this question, I started training an object-detection algorithm to make subjective value judgements.
04
In this project I did several attempts to unite the subjective art world with the so-called objective world of big data and algorithms. I investigated how I could produce new works of art by writing an algorithm for it. While writing this algorithm, I found out that algorithms do not operate as objective as we sometimes think. With the art world as my battleground, my aim is to show that algorithms are as subjective as our own human gut feeling. This project is an ongoing extensive research into the subjectivity of algorithms.
working method:
Observation
Formulate question
Do research
Conduct experiment
Formulate new question
Be surprised
Come up with several ideas for final presentation
Create multiple works
05
Subjective algorithm at work. (Click full screen to enlarge video)
Create an app that gives the user insight in how my subjective algorithm learned. Try out the app here.
06
Collect and classify thousands and thousands of images
