Φ is a real-time simulation, In this artwork’s virtual world, a worm is constantly following the cube’s light, as it is terrified of the darkness. The cube continuously learns through an algorithm and, in turn, reshapes the image it renders. The insect’s figure fuses a child’s body with a soft-bodied bug—an embodiment of life pared down to its most fragile form. In the world of social media, this kind of reduction—boiling people down to tractable signals—creates ideal conditions for controlling behavior.
In the installation, a webcam captures the gallery in real time. Using OpenCV, the system estimates the number of viewers and how long each one lingers. On the cube, a Q-learning agent continually searches for illuminated cells and their sequences, producing the choreography of the insect’s chase. Online, we are not only watching but being watched—and steered. The traces users leave are continuously analyzed to shape and harden their habits. This echoes Jaron Lanier’s reflections, especially his critique of simplified digital identity and the unacknowledged digital labor we perform on networked platforms.
SEMI 