An innovative project between research and art curation

With the occasion of the 2023 Helsinki Biennial, titled “New Directions May Emerge”, we have conceived and designed an experiment in machine curation. Our project speculates on the idea of re-imagining the city of Helsinki through the art collection of the Helsinki Art Museum.

The project is outlined in collaboration with designer Yehwan Song, who designs and implements the web interface, and curator Joasia Krysa, chief curator of the Helsinki Biennial.

Website: http://newlyformedcity.net/

A new approach to art curation using Artificial Intelligence

The practice of curating art involves presenting an art collection in an informed manner. Machine processes, on the other hand, excel at handling and analyzing vast amounts of data. This project explores the use of contemporary machine learning models on the field of curatorial work, specifically focusing on machine curation and audience interaction. By leveraging the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) collection, we aim to re-imagine the city of Helsinki through the perspective of machine perception. Our approach involves utilizing visual-textual models to situate indoor artworks in public spaces, assigning fictional coordinates based on similarity scores. To transform the perception of each artwork’s location within the city, we generate synthetic 360-degree art panoramas using diffusion models. This process incorporates estimating depth values from 360-degree panoramas at each artwork’s position, along with machine-generated prompts related to the artworks. The project’s outcome is presented as a web-based installation, providing users with the opportunity to navigate an immersive alternative version of the city. Through this experience, users can explore and interact with the city’s cultural heritage on a large scale.