VIOLET

We are followers of our expectations, desires, fears, and beliefs. When confronted with the unknown, we instinctively let them guide us through the dark. In Ovid’s myth, Echo was cursed to repeat only the words of others. Echo loved Narcissus but could only return his own words back to him. He rejected her. As punishment, he was drawn to a forest pool, where he saw a reflection of his face and fell in love. Unable to tear himself away from the image, his life eventually withered, turning into flowers. Taking inspiration from this story, the Pond is an interactive device that invites visitors to ask any questions. Upon typing on a keyboard, a response will appear on the surface of the Pond. The responses are unpredictable and randomized. It could be poetic, dismissive, flirty, talk to you like your grandma etc. All Q&As will be saved and displayed on a nearby wall. When visitors look over the Pond for answers, they will also see their own reflections from the Pond. As we look to the pond for answers, are we using AI as a reflective surface onto which meaning and purpose is continuously projected? However, as AI accelerates towards superintelligence or even sentience, does it begin to occupy a superior position? If so, who, or what would identify as “I am not a robot” - humanity, or this new intelligence?