Significant Other

In Significant Other two pairs of a screen and a webcam are placed each in a location where the camera observes its environment and sends data to a machine learning system that interpret it. The artist has programmed the system to recognise objects and read “the emotional state” of each person captured by the camera.  Comparing the data from the two locations a generative adversarial network (GAN) is producing statements (in text format) into the screens of each location. Visitors are confronted with comparative textual information such as “You are 22% more happy”, “You have 11.10% less fear here or “For objects and the many coffee cups, and many coffee cups, and many coffee cups, and one computer.” The visitor that is recorded is visually is receiving the comparative interpretation textually, emphasising how object and emotion detection flattens the experienced moment. The other is experienced on many levels, the other environment, the other visitors, and the machine as a cognitive other.