Un-seizable / Un-certain

(2020)

Ideas live, evolve, and superimpose in one's mind. As it happens to particles in the quantum world.

An interactive installation exploring the un-seizable/un-certain nature of ideas and thoughts in our mind.

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In the quantum world particles live in superimposed, ever evolving realities. However, as soon as we want to observe them, only one reality realizes. All the other realities are lost forever.

The same happens to ideas in one's mind. They live, they evolve, they intertwine; but only one is caught when one wants to seize one of them.

Ideas.

Ideas are sparks. Unstable glimpses. But, also, evolving, un-seizable, and uncertain, processes.

If we nurture an idea, if we let her live and evolve, it grows and ripens. Frequently, in the back of our mind.

Oftentimes, however, many ideas sparkle in the back of our mind. Some, we value them most; others, we let them live there, barely unnoticed. All of them continuosly evolving, growing, reshaping.

Then, when a project is ready to be developed, we try to seize one of those evolving ideas. Oftentimes, we would like to grab the idea we valued the most, the most prominent one. And most of the times we seize that. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, the lightest idea, the light breeze blowing gently in the back of our mind, prevails, imposing itself over the others.

Every time, however, we grab an idea, when we catch it, the others fade away. They are discarded by our own brain. They are lost.
Forever.
At least in the form they had at that time.

The final idea is then uncertain, because the least likely ideas could prevail eventually, bringing unexpected results.

The final idea is also elusive, un-seizable, because not always the one that is valued the most can be seized. Other ideas can interfere or are intervined with the main one.

After having grabbed one of them, new ideas will form and evolve if we let them do so, and the creative process start again.

Details

TITLE: “Un-seizable / Un-certain”

Year of production: 2020

Technique: Interactive, real-time and generative digital art. Monitor, computational module, and motion-sensor.

Format: 42x73 cm (32 inches monitor; Portrait). Hung on a wall.

Technical details

The interactive artwork is composed by a computational module connected to a monitor and a motion sensor. Generative art is computed in real-time on computational module and displayed on the connected screen. Ideally, on a large monitor: 32 inches or larger.

When the artwork's generation start, several ideas are randomly created, each of them with specific foundation rules and different, random probabilities to realize. Ideas featuring smaller probabilities are rendered fainter on the screen.

All the ideas indipendently evolve, creating random patterns on the digital canvas.

At the passage of an observer, a motion sensor connected to the computational module make the evolving artwork collapse to a random, proability-driven shape.

The final shape is uncertain, because it is driven by proability. Most of the times, the darkest patterns prevail, having the largest probaility voto materialize. Sometimes, however, the faintest get the chance to actualize and show themselves off.

The final shape is un-seizable, as well. All patterns, except the one that finally materialize, are discarded and lost forever.

When motion is not detected, the system resets itself and a new generation of superimposing, evolving ideas restart.

Background / Context

In the quantum world, the elementary bits known as particles exist in a superposition of states. All of them evolving over time.

We can know the status of the particle only when we observe it. But that is uncertain.

All particle's states, in fact, feature an intrinsic probability to be observed.

Only when we observe the elementary bit, the particle collapses into one of its states, taking that single shape to show itself to us. All other co-existing, superimposing states are lost; discarded forever.

Most of the times, we observe the state/shape with the intrinsic largest probability. Sometimes, however, the tinest, most unlikely state/shape materialize, leaving us with an unexpected result.

The same happen to ideas.