The sculpture at the center of the booth is part of the project "data.relic" — an interactive installation created by the art & science studio SPLACES in collaboration with the in-house creative studio 7.47 for the joint exhibition by Yandex and the Tretyakov Gallery, "Human and Neural Networks: Who Creates Whom?"
In April 2025, visitors to the exhibition and Yandex users were invited to answer nine questions addressing different aspects of human-AI interaction — from creativity to education — and to share their perspectives on how these relationships are evolving.
At the Cosmoscow art fair, "data.relic" was presented in a new format: visitors can not only explore the documentation of the project and the sculpture — the final "data imprint" — but also take part in the survey again, becoming part of an ongoing digital process. The interactive mechanism allows each participant to see how their response influences the transformation of the projection mapped onto the stone, revealing how individual opinions relate to the collective.
We all leave traces — in history, in culture, and in the lives of others. data. relic is an invitation to reflect on how we feel, choose, and interact in a world shaped by technology. At the core of the project lies a question: does human intimacy remain unchanged when digital mediation enters our relationships?
Today, technology has become an integral part of our lives. We do not reject it — on the contrary, we see it as a continuation of evolution. At the same time, we believe that genuine closeness and the capacity for empathy remain fundamental to human relationships.
While "data.relic" explores human interaction with AI, it ultimately speaks less about technology and more about people — our fears, choices, and emotions. Each response contributes not only to the evolving form of the sculpture, but also becomes a personal trace, reflecting how we think and feel at the early stages of our encounter with AI.
Continuing to search for a balance between the human and the technological, the project team decided to donate the proceeds from the sale of the sculpture to the Yandex-supported charity foundation "Help Nearby" — as a gesture of returning this dialogue to society and as a way of embedding technology within practices of care and solidarity.
Creative Producer: Andrey Shibanov
Concept Creator and Producer: Kolya Tsarev
Curator: Kristina Ots
Co-founders and Partners at SPLACES. STUDIO: Vitaly Babenychev, Ekaterina Ilyenko
Lighting Designer and Engineer: Nikita Boyakov
Algorithm developer: Vsevolod Krassa
Embedded programmer: Liza Fomina
Machine design engineer: Dima Gorchakov
Installation architectural design: Dmitry Dubrovsky
Installation design engineer: Levon Alajalov
Metalwork engineer: Daniil Demin
PR and marketing: Arina Ryabtseva, Anna Sokolova
