Invisible Vision [2023]

The project "Invisible Vision" explores how communication systems unfold within decentralized robotic communities. The research delves into the broad field of understanding visual data and aims to create a futuristic impression of how machine landscapes interact and result in a new way of interpreting information.

Our relationship with responsive technology can be called dual, to say the least, because on the one hand we are developers and initiators of that technology, and on the other hand we make ourselves dependent on that same technology. Technology and especially machines are built to serve humans and must be controlled and programmed by humans, but in many contemporary cases that programming and the behavior of the programmed system becomes so complex that it seems rather the other way around. Are we not actually being driven by today's machine-based landscapes?

The ‘Invisible Vision’ installation comprises three robotic sculptures that maneuver deliberately within each others visual range. Utilizing a network of light sensors, these sculptures interpret visual data to generate abstract patterns on the circular LED panel affixed to their arms. The resulting patterns facilitate a form of communication among the units, characterized by its complexity which is hard to decipher by humans.

‘Invisible Vision’ is a machinic embodiment of decisions based on complex systems. It refers to the intricate web of invisible information networks omnipresent in our environment. Within the realms of machinery and digital landscapes, decisions are orchestrated through the assimilation of imperceptible data streams, for instance, sourced from camera networks and vast internet repositories. Through its kinetic light installation, the 'Invisible Vision' seeks to encapsulate and illuminate this process, bridging the gap between abstract information, tangible expression and composition in light and movement.

This installation was commissioned by Amsterdam Light Festival and was exhibited at Marineterrein in the winter of 2023/2024

Concept: Joris Strijbos
Curator: Jin Choi
Realisation: Joris Strijbos, Daan Johan, Puck Wacki, Jeroen Molenaar, Spectro Productions, Brian Reardon, Eelco Ottenhof, Jeroen Henstra, Joshua Lindeman, Joanne de Roest, Astro Controls B.V., I.B.S. Bearings.

Pictures by Janus van den EIjnden