Solar-LookingOutwards03

Refik Anadol Machine hallucinations

https://refikanadol.com/works/machine-hallucination/

Refik Anadol explores the mind of machines through representing memories of New York City in his work Machine Hallucinations. The work is a 30-minute experimental cinema that showcases the memories of New York through processing hundreds of millions of images. I found the idea of a machine hallucinating incredibly interesting because the visuals reflect on how we consciously and unconsciously perceive the city we live in. I am enchanted by Anadol’s manipulation of traditional storytelling cinematic techniques to showcase the memories of New York through a machine that has the “capacity” to dream. It awes me how data could produce such stunning visuals and immersive experiences and also the ability of machine learning to use existing information to “dream” about possible futures. I like how suggestive the visuals are, seemingly familiar yet distant as it represents no real place and hence its ability to portray something nostalgic like in one’s memory.