self-contained
Entangled Others
The 'self-contained' series explores the parallel between biological encoding in DNA and digital image compression, examining how information mutates through iterative processes. Living organisms express themselves through genetic encoding, acting as systems prone to mutations and evolutionary changes. This biological phenomenon mirrors the memetic nature of digital spaces, where images undergo constant transformation through combination, editing, degradation, and re-contextualisation.
The work employs an iterative crossbreeding process, randomly splicing compressed image data from datasets into target images, creating a digital genome that evolves through mutation. This process resembles grafting plants together, where foreign genetic material integrates with existing structures. Rudimentary artificial life simulations explore error correction within this mutative framework, tracing the complexities inherent in natural processes.
The compression-decompression cycle becomes the central subject, aided by neural networks that restore color and detail to regenerated images. This simultaneous process reflects the shared temporality of biological and digital evolution: cells divide, mutate, and grow while digital content undergoes remixing, amplification, and obsolescence. 'Self-contained 009.x' achieves complete circularity by synthesising and storing a compressed version of the work in actual DNA, housed within a sculptural capsule.
This piece embodies the full spectrum of digital-physical intertwining: from simulated natural processes in image-making to the final re-encoding into synthesized, physical DNA. The work demonstrates how artificial and biological systems converge, creating new forms of artistic expression that exist simultaneously across digital and organic domains.
