Page 354 - The Black Box Book

In the film format, we see at once the expected and surprising A N I M A T I O N
diversity of the collected material. We see photographic documentation
of varying quality of art of different genres, techniques, materials, and Removing images from their original contexts is an opportunity for new
styles in rapid succession. Photographs of wholes pieces, cut-outs, de- reflection. But in the world of automatic machines, we see the creation
tails, portraits of artists with their works, documentation of exhibitions of new contexts in an accelerated process. In fact, the data needs to
and openings. However, there are images that we do not regard to be be sorted before the actual learning can begin. In most cases, fea-
photographs of art for various reasons. There are images that attest to ture extraction is necessary in order to optimize the data to achieve
the artists’ various activities, such as their mountain treks, travels, lei- the desired learning outcome. The data is sorted into sets and clusters.
sure time, etc. For example, Václav Fiala also has a database of Šumava The optimization and sorting results in a balanced dataset. In the case
tourists with sensitive data on his website. Another problem was the of the AI: All Idiots dataset, we only removed the too small images of
website of the late artist Ján Mančuška, , which was hacked at the time of the web page features used for navigation from the dataset. The dataset
the exhibition. It would not have been easy for either an automated was left deliberately unbalanced to draw attention to issues related to
machine or an informed person to sort the images satisfactorily into the sorting of category-defying art, where context and a variety of other
the correct categories. In fact, it would be very difficult to establish these factors play a crucial role. A sculpture is connected to the space where it
categories at all. It would probably be a lengthy process supported by is placed, the installation design is also part of the message of the work,
art historical and aesthetic research and other considerations on such we have a long tradition of conceptual and immaterial art, many artworks
a complex subject. Moreover, while watching the film, we are overwhelmed refer to something else, build on something else, etc. An example of how
by the feeling that art should be viewed more slowly and with more con- difficult it is for someone unfamiliar with the context to know what is and
centration and care, but the film moves mercilessly along. The passage is not art is when gallery staff who, unintentionally in good faith, acciden-
of time also reminds us that this is merely extracted anonymized material
that is treated schematically. By extracting the data, its original context
is lost, exposing the meaning and complexity of that original context.

“First of all, artificial intelligence has to process an enormous
amount of images from the dataset. The speed at which it does so
is incomparable to man. It learns in a matter of weeks or months,
the computational process however, would take a human being
several lifetimes.The difference between perception and process-
ing which is human and which is artificial, between perception
and processing which is fast and which is long, is accentuated in
the film and installation by Jana Bernartová. Man can survive with-
out sleep for a maximum of 8 to 11 days. After being awake for such
a long time, humans would find themselves in serious jeopardy of
death. Please concentrate and try to watch the film for as long as
physically possible. To be able to do so, the film environment or in-
stallation provides you with elements stimulating the human senses.”
Aimee’s monologue – digital guide to the exhibition AI: All Idiots

Figure 6: Jana Bernartová, AI: All Idiots,
the MeetFactory Gallery, Prague, 2021,
photo: Katarína Hudačinová
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