Data Bugs by Dotdotdot, the installation that tells the story of AI, from Fuorisalone flies to Shanghai

The immersive and interactive installation Data Bugs by Dotdotdot, presented at the Fuorisalone 2024 and winner of the Fuorisalone Award for the Interaction section, was selected among the five works curated by Iris Long to explore the relationship between art and technologies as part of the Cinema in Meta program at the Nowness Short Film Award 2024, on stage at the TANK in Shanghai. The theme of this year’s event, In Motion, reflects on the fluidity of the present, inviting creators to observe, engage and actively reflect through their work.


Photo courtesy by Piercarlo Quecchia - DSL Studio

Data Bugs was chosen as an example of a narrative environment that not only illustrates how AI actually works, but also highlights the crucial role of dataset curation – or lack thereof – in creating bias. Furthermore, its interface, based on movement in space, represents an innovative alternative to the classic text-to-image model, opening up new creative possibilities in the field of curation and exhibition design.

Data Bugs is configured as an immersive space: a universe populated by images of insects generated by AI in response to visitor input. By interacting with eight totems, the public activates the flow of data towards two generative Artificial Intelligences that create, in real time, representations of insects. The two AIs were trained on different datasets: one generic and standardized, the other curated by an entomologist. The comparison of the results obtained offers an effective representation of the polarization to which we are exposed in the use of these technologies.


Photo courtesy by Piercarlo Quecchia - DSL Studio

In a global context that often seems dominated by non-European realities, it is significant that, precisely in China, an Italian studio is invited to talk about artificial intelligence. This recognition reflects a growing awareness of the need to adopt more “humanistic” approaches to address collective and social challenges, distant from the paradigms imposed by Big Tech.