Mechanical Mind Echoes the World
An audio-visual artwork created specifically for the United Nations General Assembly.
Mechanical Mind Echoes the World is an artwork that takes audiences on a journey through the mind of an AI-machine, as it takes the global pulse with regards to progress made on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate and health.
Created using data from United Nations’ SDG reports, the World Health Organisation, and Our World in Data’s SDG tracker, the artwork’s machine-generated aesthetics bring art and science together and serve as a mirror of our collective aspirations for a sustainable future.
Experiencing the artwork, audiences are taken on meditative tour de force, bringing forth the machine learning algorithms reimagination of our human condition and the planet. As such the artwork scrutinizes questions around climate and heath, as well as what can be learned about our human challenges when it comes to achieving the SDG’s. In the face of the effects of climate change on human health, it invites audiences to reflect on our responsibility to address these issues together, building shared narratives of hope and empowerment.
The artwork is created by artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrom and her art-tech studio ARTificial Mind consisting of assistant artist Cody Lukas and software developers Asbjørn Olling, Jens Hegner Stærmose and Alexander Krog. The artwork was developed in close collaboration with the United Nations and Wellcome’s Cultural Partnerships team.
Artwork:
Mechanical Mind Echoes the World
Artist:
Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm
ARTificial Mind:
Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm, Artist
Cody Lukas, Assistant Artist
Jens Hegner Strærmose, Software Engineer
Asbjørn Olling, Software Engineer
Alexander Krog, Software Engineer
Year:
2023
Media and Dataset:
The machine learning algorithms have been fed data from a myriad of online sources from United Nations’ SDG reports, the World Health Organisation, and Our World in Data’s SDG tracker, particularly related to themes of climate and health. The artwork combines bespoke artificial intelligence technology utilizing machine learning, and latent text-to-image diffusion models in its creation.
Exhibitions:
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), United Nations Headquarters, New York, 8. September 2023 - 24. September 2023