This week in our studio, our class had the opportunity to tour the ‘This Hideous Replica’ (2024) exhibition curated by Joel Stern and Sean Dockray, which I loved. The exhibition’s theme of exploring algorithmic culture and its impact on us—both as a collective and individually—was fascinating, especially in a time when the digital world is constantly evolving and being increasingly used by the masses.
One line from a didactic sign in the exhibition stood out to me, claiming, ‘In 2030, the average European’s digital, data-intensive avatar consumes more water than their physical body’ (Stern and Dockray 2024). This statement, paired with the beautiful and thought-provoking art, emphasized the often-overlooked environmental impact of the digital space. It made me reflect on how something that feels intangible, like digitisation, actually has significant consequences, from resource consumption to environmental damage. This led me to think more deeply about what it means to physically interact with digital spaces. The realization that digital data doesn’t just exist in a virtual realm but has a very real environmental cost—especially in terms of the water and electricity used to sustain data servers—is crucial to understand. More importantly, transparency from data service providers about these impacts could help mitigate some of the negative effects (Farfan and Lohrmann 2023: 10) and allow us to be more mindful of how we use digital technologies.
The beauty of the artwork in the exhibition was mesmerizing, especially the PlastiCorpUs (Debris Facility 2024) light fixtures and Shadow Tresses (Luscombe 2024), a captivating and eerie automated shadow puppet. These pieces made me stop and examine how the art was created and, more specifically, how they tied into the exhibition’s theme of digitalisation. Observing the physical aspects of these artworks and considering their digital elements highlighted how digitisation can go unnoticed. The materiality of both of these pieces caught my interest due to their diverse materials and the intricate techniques used. From a distance, the light fixtures seemed to be simple paper prints, but upon closer inspection, I could see the varying techniques and materials, such as painted laminated plastic and processed digital images. Both artworks had such depth and creativity, which truly inspired me as I consider how I can incorporate AI and technology into my art to create something uniquely mine, yet part of something bigger. The ‘This Hideous Replica’ (Stern and Dockray 2024) exhibition, along with the personal stories and influences behind the pieces, truly highlights AI as an ‘extension of the collective imaginary’ (Ervik 2023: 52). This perspective makes me view AI as a collaborator for creativity in a more positive light, with a sense of eagerness and excitement.
References
Debris Facility (2024) PlastiCorpUs [light fixtures], This Hideous Replica, RMIT Galleries, Melbourne, VIC.
Ervik A (2023) Generative AI and the Collective Imaginary: The Technology- Guided Social Imagination in AI-Imagenesis. The international journal of the image. https://rmit.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61RMIT_INST/4t5l5f/cdi_cristin_nora_10852_109478
Farfan J and Lohrmann A (2023) Gone with the clouds: Estimating the electricity and water footprint of digital data services in Europe. Energy Conversion and Management, 290, 117225-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2023.117225
Luscombe L (2024) Shadow Tresses [automated shadow puppet], This Hideous Replica, RMIT Galleries, Melbourne, VIC.
Stern J and Dockray S (2024) ‘This Hideous Replica’ [art exhibition], RMIT Galleries, Melbourne, VIC.