Sound of the trees Project description

Description
Moved by the expectations of the development of humanity and our continuous progress from
previous understanding of nature, with this project I intend to hint at drawing lines in between
the current visions of intelligence technologies and concepts of the structure of language,
meaning-making, and imaging of objective reality. This, as limited by the boundaries of the
human condition and cognition, and the technological tools and understanding we are able to
think and then create. The project proposal is therefore conceptual and of research in principle,
converging into multimedia art/installation production across the disciplines that I work with.

In doing so, I wish to incorporate research on several areas, and attempt the tracing of these lines.
Achieving this by articulating thoughts and impressions on artificial intelligence, the learning
process in humans as well as in machines, theory of language and communication. Then approach
realizations on how we understand the exchange of information, whether through speech or
digital transfer of data.

My starting point is the idea of reality being able to be objectively seen and that it generates
pictures in the brain. These images are composed of a myriad of sensations, from which stable
representation are extracted. Emotions. They can be made to deploy different output with the
motor system (muscles). Then, parting from insights of language, this representations could be
spoken to a digital system, in the same way that humans learn about the world through language
and repetition, not only experience.

Then it follows that emotions are to be seen as high abstractions of brain activity patterns. They
put together a large universe of inputs and connections and can go beyond our capacity to clearly
describe what they entail, and how they connect or interact with the rest of the perceptual
experience. These sensations would then sit at the top of the conceptualization neural pyramids.

By pyramids, I refer to the vision of structures that should form such hierarchy. Universal growth
patterns, as in trees, where the base of the pyramid would represent the , thiner, more diverse
ending of the branches. The top of the pyramid, the single thicker branch from which everything
stems.

The form of the artistic output that I intend could encompass research related text or essay,
multimedia, installation, sound or visual art. A concept or hard to express realization is conveyed
through a crafted, ritual-like, experience that takes on the shape of an event.

I am interested in the point at which the perceptions turn into action after they have been
experienced and produce behaviour and language. In how ideas are generated and dealt with at
the top of the hierarchy of abstraction and they translate into defined actions downwards over the
patterns of perception.

In more practical terms...

By means of using implementations of machine learning, I want to explore the possibility of

concatenating perceptual and processing nodes, and constructing a hierarchy that represents
higher, more invariable pictures of the input stimuli. For the purpose of this project and research,
the input is sound, that in the context of the art work this would mean speech and/or music. And
then have the system produce sounds based on the paths of perception it has created. Creating a
sort of a response to a dialogue.

In the project, the creation, or system, will be structured inspired and following insights gained
from research on philosophy, linguistics, technology and straight realizations of the artist. This
research will produce the design, rules, the scaffolding for the timing, motivation(as in the driving
energy) and parameters for the responses of the coded implementation.

During the residency I intend to invest time in exchanging ideas, doing research and sketching
both visually and in the form of code. These sketches as a glimpse into the artists mind to show
the internal depiction of realizations and understandings, things and cognitive objects that would
likely go beyond the realm of spoken language.

Along this whole process and up until the end of the residency, focus will be spent in developing
of code and patches, to work on materializing these visions of artificial cognizance. The system,
experience, performance or installation will be able to produce sounds, responses and synthesis
upon command under a set program, so that it can be used in a long running
installation/exhibition setting. This installation would consist of a number of objects and pieces,
all of which hint the conceptual imaging of the relationships, and lines that the artwork opens
between technology, philosophy and art.

In the end, the perception and experience of the public should be open to different readings, and
for some it might even look disconnected. Since the connection at times will be distant, or subtle,
and the message is intentionally kept hazy, the experience, in the exhibition setting, requires of
several objects to make up the articulation of patterns of thought.

Conclusion
In a way, the message I am after, and the knowledge that I am seeking is the realization of the
natural evolution of organisms and our current stage in it, now in the context of technology
creation, and the perspective it gives us now of the real intent of language, its power, capabilities,
structures, functions, information/energy exchange and development of organic communication
between humans and non-human entities. Constantly questioning reality in the process. Music
comes into play as part of the totality of language.

Using the residency as a platform, I would be able to further refine the conceptualization of these
connections, exchange and share them, interact with and connect with people akin and exchange
ideas, knowledge and by doing so increase the definition and impact and efficiency of the
transmission of felt ideas