Temporary Public Art, April 2024
By Betty Sargeant AI.
MATERIALS: Coated aluminium poles. SIZE: 8.5m x 6m x 4.2m (high).
COMMISSIONED BY: Mornington Peninsula Shire Public Art Program.
What happens when artificial intelligence designs our public spaces?
Picture this: A synthetic grove of fluorescent trees appears in the middle of a coastal woodlands. Where did it come from?
THE FAUXREST is a temporary public artwork featuring an artificial forest that’s installed in the centre of a real outdoor natural environment. This arrestingly beautiful installation has been conceptualised, designed, manufactured and installed by an AI robot: Betty Sargeant AI. THE FAUXREST places audiences in the centre of machine learning futures.
THE FAUXREST has a striking visual impact. The installation appeared without any public promotion, leaving a small local community to discover and interpret the artwork on their own. Its sudden appearance and disappearance fostered a unique engagement with art. The installation was followed by town hall discussions and information sessions, improving people’s digital literacy by helping them understand the nuances of AI and the issues surrounding this technology.
THE FAUXREST is the first commissioned work created by Betty Sargeant AI, and is potentially the world’s first public artwork created entirely by artificial intelligence without any human intervention. THE FAUXREST places audiences at the intersection of nature, art and machine learning, challenging us to consider the role of technology in the design of public spaces.
MATERIALS
THE FAUXREST features 166 vertical aluminium poles 3cms in diameter and 1.8-4.2m high. The textured surface of the aluminium replicates tree bark. The poles are coated in an adhesive toughened paper painted intense fluorescent pink. The vibrant colour of the vertical poles sits in stark contrast to the surrounding natural environment.
DISCLAIMER
***This is real art made by a fake robot – no AI was used in making this work. This project involves robot impersonation. Betty Sargeant AI is a satirical provocation that operates as a catalyst for deep consideration of AI futures. At a time when AIs impersonate humans, Betty Sargeant is impersonating the machine***
ARTIST STATEMENT
Through this artwork I explore the paradox of our current technological moment. We are simultaneously captivated by AI’s potential and anxious about its implications. This installation uses robot impersonation as a critical tool to examine these tensions, inviting audiences to look beyond the spectacle and engage with fundamental questions about what it means to be human in an age of intelligent machines.
THE TEAM
Betty Sargeant AI: Artist and producer.
Georgia Rouette: Curator
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Betty Sargeant lives and works on the land of the Bunurong people and the Yallakut-Willam clan who are Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation (Australia). Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. Betty Sargeant respectfully acknowledges the ongoing struggles and achievements of First Nations custodians. Sovereignty was never ceded.
