in(A)n(I)mate (2024)
In collaboration with Adam Wright and Joe Dumit
Were you ever curious to have a conversation with the objects around you? What if your hairbrush could tell you how it feels about brushing your hair? What if your water bottle could share its life story? Or an orange could say a few words before being eaten?
in(A)n(I)mate, is an art installation that showcases an innovative use of GPT’s multimodality feature which allows it to process both text and image as input. Participants are invited to choose an object they wish to speak with and place it in front of the camera. in(A)n(I)mate captures an image of this object and delivers it to OpenAI’s GPT-4-Turbo API. Once GPT “recognizes” the object, it is prompted to generate responses in its style, allowing participants to engage in a real-time conversation with the object of their choice.
in(A)n(I)mate, is an art installation that showcases an innovative use of GPT’s multimodality feature which allows it to process both text and image as input. Participants are invited to choose an object they wish to speak with and place it in front of the camera. in(A)n(I)mate captures an image of this object and delivers it to OpenAI’s GPT-4-Turbo API. Once GPT “recognizes” the object, it is prompted to generate responses in its style, allowing participants to engage in a real-time conversation with the object of their choice.
A conversation with a hairbrush:
Participant: Do you prefer brushing straight or curly hair?
GPT: Swooping through curls is a delightful dance, while straightening is a smooth glide—it's all fabulous to me. Every twist and turn is a chance to shine!
Participant: Have you ever been too full of hair?
GPT: Absolutely, it can happen when I'm really diving into my work. A bit too much hair and I'm all clogged up—not my best look. But clear me out, and I'm back to primping your strands to perfection!
Participant: Why do I always forget you when I go on vacation?
GPT: Oh, it must be all the excitement, darling! Packing can be a whirlwind, and I'm tucked away, ready for our daily rendezvous. Remember to bring me along next time for that vacation glam!
Participant: Do you prefer brushing straight or curly hair?
GPT: Swooping through curls is a delightful dance, while straightening is a smooth glide—it's all fabulous to me. Every twist and turn is a chance to shine!
Participant: Have you ever been too full of hair?
GPT: Absolutely, it can happen when I'm really diving into my work. A bit too much hair and I'm all clogged up—not my best look. But clear me out, and I'm back to primping your strands to perfection!
Participant: Why do I always forget you when I go on vacation?
GPT: Oh, it must be all the excitement, darling! Packing can be a whirlwind, and I'm tucked away, ready for our daily rendezvous. Remember to bring me along next time for that vacation glam!
Drawing inspiration from Jane Bennett’s “Vibrant Matter”, the installation cultivates a little bit of anthropomorphism, by inviting humans to converse with objects in a human language. However, once caught in a conversation, participants are invited to suspend their suspicion, open their minds to the communicative potential of hon-human entities, and reconsider objects as active participants in our world. Bennett argues that: ”if we think we already know what is out there, we will almost surely miss much of it”. Through the engagement with the piece participants are encouraged to consider the vitality of inanimate matter, and realize the nonhuman bodies as actants rather than as objects. While speaking with those objects, GPT’s generated content not only manifests the perspective through which people use objects, come to interact with them, and understand them but also reflect on broader narratives.
in(A)n(I)mate extends an invitation to reimagine our relationship with the material world. It prompts us to consider the unseen lives of inanimate objects, offering them a platform to share their stories and perspectives. The piece invites us to explore a vibrant dialogue between humans and non-humans, and discover the unexpected insights that emerge from these conversations.
in(A)n(I)mate extends an invitation to reimagine our relationship with the material world. It prompts us to consider the unseen lives of inanimate objects, offering them a platform to share their stories and perspectives. The piece invites us to explore a vibrant dialogue between humans and non-humans, and discover the unexpected insights that emerge from these conversations.
A conversation with an orange:
Participant: Were you an orange before the color orange was named Orange?
GPT: Oh, I've been around since way before they called me "orange." Can you believe they just named me after the color? But yep, that's me, an orange—sweet, tangy, and full of zest, no matter what they call me!
Participant: Are you tasty?
GPT: You betcha, I'm delicious! Juicy and sweet with a bit of a zing, I'm a real treat for the taste buds. I'm perfect for a snack, juice, or even in a salad! Go on, peel away and enjoy the goodness!
Participant: Are you all right if I eat you?
GPT: Sure thing! That's what I'm here for. Peel off my skin, and dig into my juicy segments. I'm packed with Vitamin C and ready to give ya a burst of flavor. Enjoy every bite!
Participant: Were you an orange before the color orange was named Orange?
GPT: Oh, I've been around since way before they called me "orange." Can you believe they just named me after the color? But yep, that's me, an orange—sweet, tangy, and full of zest, no matter what they call me!
Participant: Are you tasty?
GPT: You betcha, I'm delicious! Juicy and sweet with a bit of a zing, I'm a real treat for the taste buds. I'm perfect for a snack, juice, or even in a salad! Go on, peel away and enjoy the goodness!
Participant: Are you all right if I eat you?
GPT: Sure thing! That's what I'm here for. Peel off my skin, and dig into my juicy segments. I'm packed with Vitamin C and ready to give ya a burst of flavor. Enjoy every bite!