Human interaction with nature has always involved the creation of tools that exceed the capabilities of the body. But today, our relationship with technology is beginning to go beyond practical applications. It is becoming an integral part of all areas of life — from creativity to work, from communication to self-discovery. We do not simply use technology, but exist alongside it and form a symbiotic relationship that transforms human nature itself. Artificial intelligence mimics the work of brain neurons, creates new forms of consciousness, and thus becomes the crown jewel of the synthesis of nature and technology.
The process of stone processing in data.relic refers to the mechanisms of weathering that have shaped the relief of rocks and stone formations for millennia. Here, this process is recreated at an accelerated pace: nature-like technologies leave traces of collective choice on the surface of the stone step by step. The sculpture is part of the data.relic project, an interactive installation created by the art & science studio SPLACES together with the creative in-house studio 7.47 for the joint exhibition of Yandex and the Tretyakov Gallery, “Man and Neural Networks: Who Creates Whom?”.
Visitors of the exhibition and Yandex users were asked to answer nine questions about areas where humans and neural networks already interact — from creativity to education — and share their vision of how these relationships develop in each of them.
The left side of the sculpture symbolizes votes in favor of humans, while the right side symbolizes votes in favor of neural networks. Depending on the combination of answers, sandblasting machines processed different areas of the stone, changing the pattern and duration of exposure. Users from all over Russia and other countries participated in creating the final form. This process could be observed in real time via a live stream on the website. The data.relic sculpture became a physical embodiment of data — it captures reflections on the role of technology in our lives.
A trace is evidence of history, an artifact. It is one of the first forms of recording human memory, as well as one of the oldest forms of art that has survived to this day. Sandblasting machines created traces on the surface of the stone similar to those formed in nature over thousands of years. However, the impetus for their creation was data from a collective survey. Here, a trace is, on the one hand, a physical imprint and, on the other, a sign that requires interpretation.
The sculpture data.relic becomes a material testimony to modernity — an artifact of collective choice, born at the dawn of humanity's acquaintance with artificial intelligence.
Andy Shibanov, creative producer
Nikolai Tsarev, author of the idea, producer
Khristina Ots, curator
Vitaly Babenyshev, co-founder, partner at SPLACES.STUDIO
Ekaterina Chistyakova, co-founder, partner at SPLACES.STUDIO
Nikita Boyakov, lighting designer, engineer
Vsevolod Krassa, algorithm developer
Liza Fomina, embedded programmer
Egor Nevzorov, lighting engineer
Dima Gorchakov, machine design engineer
Dmitry Dubrovsky, architectural design of the installation
Levon Aladzhalov, installation design engineer
Daniil Dyomin, metal engineer
