Sofia Crespo
Sofia Crespo

'Perpetual Present'
2024

As the distance increases from our ancestors, who used what we consider rudimentary tools to carve, paint, and form the interior walls of the Altamira caves, the more relevant they seem to become. Unseen layers, now revealed by new imaging developments, show themselves, allowing us to reinterpret these ancient works. Notions of who made these caves and why have shifted dramatically in the blink of an eye. How can we reinterpret these creations from the distant past using the current technologies available to us? Moreover, considering the subject matter of the cave paintings reflects the ecosystem context of life then, what is our relationship to our present ecosystems today? This becomes a pressing question, especially since several of the species depicted by our ancestors are now extinct.

As digital tools continue to advance and become ubiquitous, we are compelled to confront our current representations of the natural world. This is particularly true with large machine learning models that extract patterns from data about organisms. Their scale, often trained on millions of images, suggests they might influence our perceptions. Furthermore, there are no guarantees of their accuracy, especially given that image-making and data collection are anthropocentric processes.

Although we tend to regard technology as part of our future, it is actually a present tool that exists today and might not be what will prevail tomorrow. From image generation using machine learning models trained on millions of images of the natural world, to 3D clay printing and robotic painting, this work attempts to reinterpret what our ancestors created using current tools, methods, and critically endangered species, to gain insights into our present time. While the systems and hardware that create this work might not last more than a few years, their physical impressions could potentially outlive any contemporary viewer or even the featured specimens.

Simultaneously, the paintings in Altamira are also part of our present. Although they were created in the past, we view them through the lens of the present moment we inhabit. Thus, the stone wall becomes more than just a surface; it transforms into a plasticity emerging from its seemingly inert state under the overlay of the digital eye.

This project aims to pose the question of how the interaction of new developments can nurture not only our understanding but also our worldview and how what remains of our culture might be broadcast through time.

(behind the Scenes video, edited by Bautista Godoy)

exhibited:

2024 PHotoESPAÑA (ES) (link)

metadata:

year: 2024
medium: neural networks, 3D printed clay, robotically applied acrylic paint

credits:

Production Design by Feileacan Kirkbride McCormick
In collaboration with Ilias Poutsiakas, computational designer and researcher at the Map-Aria lab
With the support of the Map-Aria lab