The New Observer

Installation, for Chongqing Starlight 68 Plaza.

Type
Installation

Date
February, 2024

Site
Chongqing Starlight 68 Plaza, 

Chongqing, CHINA.

Majoring Part
Concept, Installation Design and Modeling.

This project was created for Starlight 68 Plaza in Chongqing, featuring a robot character installation. While we marvel at the historical breakthroughs in generative AI technology, it is worth asking: can these near-human-level intelligences develop self-awareness? Advanced intelligence is closely tied to consciousness. As technological evolution progresses and phenomenological awareness emerges, AI and technology may break free from the confines of screens and enter the real world. In such a scenario, where AI is currently seen as a tool and the digital realm as a virtual space, how do we, as humans, affirm our own existence?

In this project, I am mainly responsible for parts of creative ideas, installation design, and modeling.

Utilizing the plaza’s ceiling screens, we designed a robot character interacting with a smartphone. The robot conveys the sense of taking selfies within the mall. Visitors’ uploaded selfies are processed through AI and displayed on both the robot’s phone screen and the plaza’s ceiling screens, creating an engaging and thought-provoking experience.

In the modern urban landscape, consumerism has shifted from the consumption of goods to the trade of information. People move through one digital interface after another, and products require the witness of screens to become tangible objects. The flow of information streams endlessly across countless screen interfaces.