Entitled Feeding Consciousness, the exhibition by British digital artist Dominic Harris presents 18 artworks that reimagine the role of the visitor from viewer to participant. Combining AI, touchscreens, cameras and other sensors, Harris aims to create connections between his objects of art and people who interact with them.
For instance, the artwork called World Stage uses digital representations of global species of butterflies to animate the powerful iconography of worldwide flags.
The transition to monochrome and metallic butterflies unifies the national flags in a poignant way. Taking this material transformation to another level, the presence of the exbibit-goer’s own reflection across the surface of the metallic butterflies signifies our individual responses to the flag’s iconography.
Digital Artist uses AI to engage exhibit-goers
Limitless is an eight-foot interactive tower made up of gold blocks animated by a live data feed from the London Stock Exchange. Each block represents a company, shining or tarnished, by its current rising or falling valuation. Touching a tile reveals the face of the company’s CEO, a reminder that human beings drive the economy.
Another even bigger sculpture, inspired by the story of the Tower of Babel, is fed with constant updates on the latest trending and most-searched content from Google UK. The result is an ever-shifting physical manifestation of humanity’s mass hive mind, and a visual reflection on our collective conscience.
Endurance explores humankind’s impact on these polar landscapes through our direct interaction with the painting via movement and touch.
Our absolute favourite pieces are interactive Arctic portraits of Polar bear, Arctic fox and Arctic hare. When confronted by the viewer, the animals exhibit their more playful and outwardly curious mannerisms and quirks, seemingly responding not just to the action of the overlooker but also hinting at the hidden environment off-canvas.
Feeding Consciousness marks the first exhibit at Halcyon Gallery’s new flagship London gallery at 148 Bond Street. The free exhibition runs till August 13.
