SKIES EPITOMIZED OF WAR AND PEACE

Skies Epitomized of War and Peace is a dynamic light box with machine learning generated visualizations of what one sees when gazing at the sky in peaceful parts of the world (Iceland and New Zealand) as opposed to the sky as it is seen in areas of conflict and unrest (Syria and Iraq). 

The piece consists of five light boxes positioned above each other. Each light box depicts an AI-generated view of New Zealand Sky, Iraqi Sky, Universal Sky, Syrian Sky, and Icelandic sky. The personal views of the sky are combined into one sky. The lights inside each box are programmed to change continuously, just like the light in the sky is ever-changing. With every change of light, the different parts of the visualizations become visible, depicting a dynamic and political story about the human relationship with the sky.

For this, Maja Petric worked with computer scientist Nebojsa Jojic to develop an AI algorithm that epitomized different sky views based on their location. To generate an epitome of the Syrian sky, the algorithm was set to do an Internet search for "syria+sky+skies." The software then looked at all of these images absorbing bits and pieces, using them as brushes to paint the "sky epitomized"—the epitome of what people associate with a Syrian sky. This piece is part of the Skies series.

Materials: Custom machine-learning software, acrylic, optical filters, giclee prints, LED, microcontroller, and wood
Dimensions: 40 x 85 x 7 in / 101.6 x 215.9 x 17.8 cm
Year: 2016
Availability: Based on this body of work, we accept orders for unique pieces in custom sizes at info@majapetric.com