Lingdong Huang, Ziwei Wu

Featured image - Mimicry2

Mimicry (2020) is a multi-screen video installation powered by computer
algorithms and inspired by mimicry in nature, the unique way of which
species protect themselves by changing color and pattern in response to
environment.

In this experimental art piece, cameras will be recording plants in real-
time, and through a genetic algorithm the color and shape of virtual

insects will be generated and evolved over time, toward the ultimate goal
of visually blending into the recorded background. This simulated
breeding, selection, and mutation are visualized across the video monitors
positioned in front of the aforementioned living plants as they progress.
In addition to exploring the intersection between nature and computation,
we find that this work has relevance to the human society as well, as
Walter Lippmann describes it in his book Public Opinion, people construct
a pseudo- environment that is a subjective, biased, and necessarily
abridged mental image of the world. Real environment, pseudo
environment, human behavior and consequence influence each other,
construct a loop structure. To a degree, everyone’s pseudo-environment is
a fiction.

The setup of the installation is an homage to Nam June Paik ’s TV Garden.
Paik imagined a future landscape where technology is an integral part of
the natural world. We find that perspective compelling even today in 2020.

Material: Flowers, Projector, Cameras, Raspberry Pi, Screens, Flexible
arms, Machine learning algorithms

Mimicry1
Mimicry with time
Mimicry3