Support "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating" Burning Man '24 Art Prjct

Update

Despite many hurdles, it went live!

Thank you to all who donated to No, YOU'RE Hallucinating! We are pleased to report it went live for 3 days at Burning Man 2024. Despite getting our truck and key parts stolen a day before departure, despite many technical challenges, despite a smaller crew and budget than originally planned, we persisted and persevered! We plan on continuing to make improvements and taking it back out in 2025, so your donations will pay it forward for 2 years. Many thanks to Thomas Vass who joined us from another AI project, Douglas Frey, Andrew Frey and his friend Ben, Bas Mas, Margien Mutter, Erik Richie, Jaime Maldonado, and countless playa neighbors who helped us build and erect this piece!

Original Post

;TLDR: Help us bring our interactive Dadaist AI art installation, "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating," to Burning Man 2024. (If you have tech chops and/or know your way around a soldering iron, hit us up, we could use your expertise.) To get updates on the project, see here!

In the enigmatic landscape of Burning Man 2024, where the theme "Curiouser and Curiouser" invites radical exploration, artists Meighen and Sabin Speiser are set to captivate with their 2024 installation, "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating." As modest but long-standing fixtures in the Burning Man community, the Speisers are known for their transformative works like the "Temple of Narcissus" (2015) and "Intercourse" (2012). This year, they invite us to delve into a provocative blend of technology, art, and community.

The Installation: A Technological Beacon

Rising from the deep playa, "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating" stands as a 15-foot-tall hyperboloid tower. This intricate structure is formed by a double helix of bamboo poles inclined in opposite directions creating a self-supporting gracefully curved tower. Near the apex, a bright LED display scrolls around the circumference. The messages on the display are the generative output from a custom-trained and fine-tuned AI. The text is visible from all directions, powered by thousands of watts of solar and wind power.

Interactive Experience: The Unreliable Oracle

At the heart of this installation lies interaction. The artwork invites participants to communicate with the AI by speaking into a directional microphone. Using voice recognition technology, the participants' query is read out on the ticker. The AI's response to their query is scrolled out on the same display.

Themes and Intentions: Embracing Absurdity

Embracing the spirit of Dadaism, the piece encourages participants to reflect on the absurdity and humor inherent in human interactions with AI. Especially, the tendencies of LLMs to hallucinate or generate inferences that defy reason and common sense. "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating" prompts us to question the reliability of technology, and consider the unknowable nature of consciousness, without dampening our irrational exuberance. It eschews the media anthropomorphization of AIs, paying homage instead to the brutalist utilitarianism of AIs such as HAL from the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” and the Machine and Samaritan in the television series “A Person of Interest.” The juxtaposition of the ecopunk materials such as bamboo and solar panels with the power-hungry profligacy of AI technology weaves a narrative that challenges participants with its absurdity.

Community: Sharing the Journey and the Joke

Beyond its striking visual presence, the installation serves as a social hub. It fosters a sense of shelter and community, inviting participants to pause, interact, have a laugh, and share in a collective experience. As Burners encounter this beacon, they are confronted with the calculus of language, the joy of discovery, and the purpose of skepticism in a tech-driven world.

Join the Journey: A Call for Support

Heretofore self-funded, the Speisers now seek community support to bring this ambitious project to life. They invite fellow Burners and art enthusiasts to contribute, ensuring "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating" becomes a landmark of this year's festival.

As the LED lights spark to blazing glory on their arching bamboo tower, "No, YOU'RE Hallucinating" promises to be a deep playa delight, a beacon of absurdity, an oracle of comedy, and a touchstone of community in the ever-evolving tapestry of Burning Man.

If you would like to get involved and have expertise in training LLMs, controlling LEDs with Arduino, Voice Recognition, Solar and Wind power, or just using a soldering iron, hit us up. We would appreciate the help.