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March 22, 2019
A series of experimental works using machine learning and generative patterns, exhibited as an interactive installation in Istanbul, Turkey.
Series of experimental works using different methods and pipelines. Personal exhibition was held in a local design shop where I installed custom interactive softwares that use machine learning and generative patterns. Istanbul, Turkey.
"Bakarlar" (Turkish for "They Look" or "Observers") explored the relationship between viewer and artwork in the age of machine intelligence. The exhibition reversed the traditional gallery dynamic by creating interactive installations that not only responded to visitors but also "observed" them through various machine learning systems.
The title plays with the dual meaning of observation—the human visitors observing the artwork while simultaneously being observed by the technological systems embedded within the pieces. This created a reflexive loop of perception and response, blurring the line between viewer and viewed.
The installation incorporated several custom-developed interactive systems:
Each piece in the exhibition utilized different combinations of these technologies, creating a diverse but conceptually unified experience throughout the venue.
Rather than a traditional gallery, the exhibition was held in a local design shop in Istanbul, intentionally placing cutting-edge digital art in an accessible, everyday context. This choice reflected the exhibition's interest in how technology observes and responds to us in our daily environments.
The intimate space created opportunities for direct engagement with the technology, allowing visitors to experience the immediate feedback between their actions and the artwork's responses.
Created and exhibited in Istanbul in 2019, "Bakarlar/Observers" engaged with both global technological trends and local cultural perspectives on observation, privacy, and the role of technology in daily life. The exhibition reflected on Turkey's unique position at the crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures, where traditional notions of public and private space intersect with rapidly advancing technological surveillance.
Visitors to the exhibition became active participants rather than passive viewers. As they moved through the space, the interactive software responded to their presence, creating unique generative patterns and visual responses based on their movements, gestures, and sometimes even facial expressions.
This created a personalized experience for each visitor, where the artwork evolved differently depending on who was interacting with it and how—making each encounter with the installation unique and unrepeatable.
The exhibition represented an early exploration of bringing advanced machine learning and interactive digital art into accessible public spaces in Istanbul. By housing the exhibition in a design shop rather than a traditional gallery, the project aimed to democratize access to technological art and invite engagement from diverse audiences.
The exhibition was documented through video and photography, capturing the dynamic interactions between visitors and the responsive artworks. While the interactive nature of the work means that documentation can only capture fragments of the full experience, these records provide valuable insights into how the installation functioned in practice.