GROUPTHINK
What happens when we're all connected?
Groupthink was a live performance directed by the heartbeats of its viewers.
Participants were invited to turn on their webcams and share their heart rates, captured by monitoring the pulsations in their foreheads and turned into a visual score that directed a live musical performance by sitarist Shama Rahman and guitarist Mick Grierson.
Inspired by nature paintings in the National Gallery’s collection, the performance featured a visual pulsating environment that was generated in real time by AI and revealed images of artworks that reflected the energy of the audience.
No identifying information from the participants was gathered or stored during the production of Groupthink.
Groupthink is a partner of the Ars Electronica UK Garden, presented by Ars Electronica Festival 2021. Find out more.
Watch the recording of the performance
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What did you think?
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Performance times
Saturday 11 September 2021
4-5pm BST / 5-6pm CET
5-6pm BST / 6-7pm CET
About GROUPTHINK
Groupthink is a collaborative artwork conceived by National Gallery X co-director Ali Hossaini. The artistic team is in dual residency at National Gallery X and the UKRI TAS Hub, and its aim is to guide research on the implications of a neurally connected society.
Team
- Ali Hossaini
- Alain Renaud
- Diego Sempreboni
- Joshua Murr
- Luca Viganò
- Mick Grierson
- Olive Gingrich
- Sergey Drozdov
- Shama Rahman
The evolution of the project
In 2021 National Gallery X and the UKRI TAS Hub launched The AI Gallery. Conceived as the world's first 'cultural exchange programme with the realm of AI', the online exhibition serves as a focal point for experience, debate and research on artworks created by intelligent / autonomous systems. Team members share a common interest in exploring the expressive potential of AI and the social implications of machines participating in activities once thought exclusively human. Background projects include:
- ‘Privacy Security and Trust in the Internet of Neurons’ [PDF] by Luca Viganò and Diego Sempreboni
- ‘Zeitgeist’ by Olive Gingrich and Shama Rahman
- ‘Can Machines Come Alive?’ by Ali Hossaini
Project partners
- National Gallery X
- UKRI TAS Hub
- Art in Flux
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What is National Gallery X?
National Gallery X (NGX) is a partnership between the National Gallery and King's College London. It brings together King's College London’s research with the art and audiences of the Gallery to create the new museum experiences technology could make possible in the future.
