QUANTUM FRAME
LITTLE SOUND MACHINES
LITTLE SOUND MACHINES
2019 -
2018
2018
The Quantum Frame is a mechanical installation that speculates on the future of quantum computing and what that may hold for machine intelligence and consciousness. The installation takes the form of the present day quantum computer, with a tubular central chamber, where machine learning data drives the mechanical movements of an electromagnetic structure, breathing life into the metallic framework, a ghost in the machine.
The current version of the frame is self-generative. But the artist hopes that once time-sharing of the quantum computer is open to the general public, that the installation may be able to talk with the quantum machine directly via data transfer.
This piece is currently on-going. Magnetic field experimentation and research with ferrofluid are currently in--progress.
The Little Sound Machines is a sound installation consisting of a series of both mechanical and digital machines that are connected to an AI network. Three AIs form the central brain of the network. Through learning from and influencing each other, the AIs construct the musical phrases that are then played out through a series of sound-generating machines. The music generated by the AI is also presented on a series of television screens that visualizes both the AI data and audio, as well as machine logic and behavior to the audience.
This piece proposes a new mode of music creation in the age of intelligent machine. Through experimentation, the artist presents an exploration of new musical interfaces that erases the composer from the equation, to present a purely machine-made performance.
The Little Sound Machines are made from found objects, up-cycled and spare parts.
The Little Sound Machines is a sound installation consisting of a series of both mechanical and digital machines that are connected to an AI network. Three AIs form the central brain of the network. Through learning from and influencing each other, the AIs construct the musical phrases that are then played out through a series of sound-generating machines. The music generated by the AI is also presented on a series of television screens that visualizes both the AI data and audio, as well as machine logic and behavior to the audience.
This piece proposes a new mode of music creation in the age of intelligent machine. Through experimentation, the artist presents an exploration of new musical interfaces that erases the composer from the equation, to present a purely machine-made performance.
The Little Sound Machines are made from found objects, up-cycled and spare parts.
LITTLE SOUND MACHINES
2018
The Little Sound Machines is a sound installation consisting of a series of both mechanical and digital machines that are connected to an AI network. Three AIs form the central brain of the network. Through learning from and influencing each other, the AIs construct the musical phrases that are then played out through a series of sound-generating machines. The music generated by the AI is also presented on a series of television screens that visualizes both the AI data and audio, as well as machine logic and behavior to the audience.
This piece proposes a new mode of music creation in the age of intelligent machine. Through experimentation, the artist presents an exploration of new musical interfaces that erases the composer from the equation, to present a purely machine-made performance.
The Little Sound Machines are made from found objects, up-cycled and spare parts.
DATA NARRATIVES:
ANTARCTICA
2020 - Present
Data Narratives: Antarctica will premiere at UABB: The 9th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture in Shenzhen, China from November 25th, 2022 to February 25th, 2023.
Artists: Benjamin Bacon (USA), Vivian Xu (China)
Scientist Collaborator: Yajuan Lin (China)
Data Visualization & Simulation Developer: Yechen Wang (China)
The Data Narratives: Antarctica project is a mixed reality data-rich simulation game and VR experience that investigates the complex realities of life and work on the frozen continent. The piece presents a simulated reality through the lens of Palmer Station, a permanent U.S. research program based on Anvers Island on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Through layering real-world information and data from scientific, cultural, and geo-political perspectives into the simulated reality, Data Narratives: Antarctica creates a parallel universe that allows audiences to experience and contemplate issues surrounding environmental and climate crises, ethics, and human survival.
The project is developed in collaboration with oceanographer Yajuan Lin, who’s research in marine micro-plankton diversity and carbon cycles around the Southern Ocean informs the scientific component in the game world and provides the foundation for the project’s world view. Specifically, the work features Lin’s research data collected between 2012-2017 near and around Palmer Station that provide a window into the region’s climate fluctuations. The piece utilizes mixed reality approaches in bringing complex abstract topics into tangible experiences for audiences through design fiction and storytelling. The piece is designed for VR platforms, but also includes an accessible video game version to allow broader public engagement beyond the gallery and museum space.
This is a case study by designer / artist duo Benjamin Bacon and Vivian Xu in developing design fiction narratives based on real-world environmental data that speculates on the future of human survival. This project is funded by the Duke Kunshan University Data Science Research Center Data+X Grant 2021-2023, and supported by the Design, Technology, and Radical Media Labs (DTRM) at Duke Kunshan University
Data Narratives: Antarctica
Game Level Design
Data Narratives: Antarctica
Game Map Design
Data Narratives: Antarctica
Game Level Design
Data Narratives: Antarctica
Book of Codes Base Pair Visual Coding System (top)
Book of Codes Diatom RNA Data Sample Page (bottom)
Data Narratives: Antarctica
Concept Art
