Pierre Huyghe focus of producing working alternative to a human perspective presenting them as complex systems themselves as complex systems characterised by a wide range of life forms, inanimate objects and technologies. He produces immersive work surrounding the ever changing environment; incoporating how humans animals and other adapt and evolve.
‘I don’t want to exhibit something to someone, but rather the reverse: to exhibit someone to something.’ –Pierre Huyghe
“For his exhibition at the Serpentine, Huyghe began by selecting a set of images and descriptions and gave them to an individual. As this person recreated these images in their mind, their brain activity was captured by an fMRI scanner and the data produced was given to a deep neural network, which attempted to reconstruct them, collaging together elements from its own bank of images.
The thousands of attempts of the deep neural network to construct visual representations of a human thought were presented here on large LED screens distributed throughout the gallery. The rhythms and pauses within the succession of images were endlessly modified by conditions in the gallery; sensors detecting light, temperature and humidity levels, the presence of insects, and the gaze of visitors produced a feedback loop.
The conditions of the space were constantly changing and inflecting each other. A community of flies living in the central gallery created unrepeatable patterns on the domed ceiling as they emerged, grew and learned to fly; areas of the gallery walls were sanded down, and the dust from the paint of previous exhibitions was tracked across the floor as visitors entered and departed.
Together, these elements made up an ecosystem that looped together human, animal and technological players. Each of these players may be indifferent to the others, but could not help but affect what became visible on the screens as they entered, and after they left.”
