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AI Butterfly Installation Raises Awareness of Declining Populations
Dominic Harris's interactive art installation, Origins of Imagination, uses AI to transform visitor-colored butterflies into a dynamic, 900-strong digital swarm at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden for the next 10 years, aiming to raise awareness about declining butterfly populations.
Dutch
Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Dominic Harris
- What are the long-term implications of this project for public understanding of environmental issues and conservation efforts?
- The project's success depends on visitor participation, creating a dynamic artwork evolving over time. By linking art, technology, and scientific data, Origins of Imagination highlights the fragility of ecosystems, prompting conversations about biodiversity loss and conservation. The ten-year timeframe allows long-term observation of public engagement with the issue.
- How does Dominic Harris's Origins of Imagination installation use technology to raise awareness about declining butterfly populations?
- Dominic Harris's interactive art installation, Origins of Imagination, features AI-generated butterflies based on visitors' coloring-page creations. The installation, located at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, will remain for ten years and uses a custom-built software to simulate realistic butterfly behavior. The project aims to raise awareness about declining butterfly populations.
- What are the specific technologies and data used in creating the realistic butterfly simulations, and how long did the development process take?
- The artwork uses approximately 900 simultaneously displayed butterflies, constantly replaced but permanently stored within the AI system. The system trains on Naturalis's four million butterfly specimens, mimicking real-world butterfly behavior, including swarming. The installation's interactivity aims to engage viewers emotionally, promoting understanding of environmental issues.