Mimicry

    Ziwei Wu

    Cooperate with Lingdong Huang

    Mimicry is a multi-screen video installation powered by computer algorithms and inspired by mimicry in nature, the unique way of which species protect themselves by changing color and pattern in response to environment.

    In this experimental art piece, cameras will be recording plants in real-time, and through a genetic algorithm the color and shape of virtual insects will be generated and evolved over time, toward the ultimate goal of visually blending into the recorded background. This simulated breeding, selection, and mutation are visualized across the video monitors positioned in front of the aforementioned living plants as they progress.

    In addition to exploring the intersection between nature and computation, we find that this work has relevance to the human society as well, as Walter Lippmann describes it in his book Public Opinion, people construct a pseudo- environment that is a subjective, biased, and necessarily abridged mental image of the world, and to a degree, everyone’s pseudo-environment is a fiction.

    The setup of the installation is an homage to Nam June Paik ’s TV Garden. Paik imagined a future landscape where technology is an integral part of the natural world. We find that perspective compelling even today in 2020.

    How to interact

    Interaction between flower, camera and machine learning insect. No human interaction


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    Goldsmiths, University of London
    St James Hatcham Building

      Ziwei Wu

      Ziwei Wu is an second year MFA student in Computational Arts at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her artworks are mainly based on biology and science and their influence on society, using a range of media like painting, installation, audio-visual, 2D and 3D animation, VR, mapping and so on. Her work has won many awards including Lumen prize, Batsford prize and shortlist in Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize and OPPO Campus Emerging Artists Project. In 2018, she received her bachelor degree from the School of Intermedia Art in China Academy of Art. She has won many scholarships and funds during her study time including First Class Award Scholarship in CAA Outstanding graduates, the yearly person of Innovation in CAA and Ali scholarship and funded by Ali Geek Plan. Her work exhibits internationally including the Watermans Gallery (London), The Cello Factory (London), Himalayas Museum (Shanghai), Yuan Museum (Chongqing), Times Art Museum (Beijing), OCAT (Shenzhen) and so on.

      Tags
      Thing power  Generative poetics  Memory bank   interactive  ML  generative  

      Ziwei Wu

      Ziwei Wu is an second year MFA student in Computational Arts at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her artworks are mainly based on biology and science and their influence on society, using a range of media like painting, installation, audio-visual, 2D and 3D animation, VR, mapping and so on. Her work has won many awards including Lumen prize, Batsford prize and shortlist in Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize and OPPO Campus Emerging Artists Project. In 2018, she received her bachelor degree from the School of Intermedia Art in China Academy of Art. She has won many scholarships and funds during her study time including First Class Award Scholarship in CAA Outstanding graduates, the yearly person of Innovation in CAA and Ali scholarship and funded by Ali Geek Plan. Her work exhibits internationally including the Watermans Gallery (London), The Cello Factory (London), Himalayas Museum (Shanghai), Yuan Museum (Chongqing), Times Art Museum (Beijing), OCAT (Shenzhen) and so on.