About
Many disciplines and cultures have explored the possibilities of determining the fate of someone based on physical traits: reading the Samudrika Indian face, Mesopotamian bodily omens, Chinese interpretations of traits, the most modern phrenology and physiognomy. These techniques propose arbitrary readings on the inclinations, personality and future of people, "diagnosing" possible criminals, passive students, unfortunate marriages, lack of luck and more. Face analysis via AI works the same way, but while one predictive system is considered superstitious, the other is seen as a neutral tool.
The inspiration for the project came from the experience of changing the position of my teeth by wearing braces. Based on the physiognomic hypotheses, by modifying the arrangement of my teeth, I modify my destiny. The neural network at the center of the project is trained by correlating the change in the position of my teeth to the diary of my life experiences as the teeth moved. By analyzing the movement of each tooth and correlating it with what happened, the network was able to produce divinatory predictions about the future.
The project narrates a predictive collaboration, reconnecting ancient divination to modern AI systems, revealing their potential and limits.
Developer: Matus Solcany
Photo by Giorgio Benni
BOMTYCC, Re-humanism prize, WeGIL, Rome (IT), 2023; Photo by Giorgio Benni
BOMTYCC, Re-humanism prize, WeGIL, Rome (IT), 2023, Photo by Giorgio Benni
BOMTYCC, Installation view Re-humanism prize, WeGIL, Rome (IT), 2023 ; Photo by Giorgio Benni
BOMTYCC, Re-humanism prize, Visualisation, 2023