A few weeks ago, I went to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I hadn't been there in a while and it's always a treat to see what newness is being displayed, explored, and imagined. The one work that really captured my attention, though, is also the one that seems to be the most controversial.
On the entry floor, just beyond the information desks, was a huge video display, a snippet of which I've included here. It's "Unsupervised: Machine Hallucinations" by Refik Anadol Studio. The image is in constant motion, evolving, changing color, breaking apart into tiny molecules, and reforming. It appears to be three-dimensional too, as if the beads will spill off the wall and onto spectators. I found it utterly mesmerizing and apparently many others did because some viewers seemed to have been there for quite a while.
What's most interesting, though, is reactions. I don't know why, but it reminded me of the movement of dragons during Lunar New Year celebrations. Maybe it was the constant fluidity of it. A friend found it frightening because it looked like a virus mutating and infection spreading. Another marveled at the lack of limitations in AI-generated imagery, and still another expressed satisfaction in the constant reformation to the whole.
To me, the wildly different interpretations are actually what make this so beautiful. I've discussed interpretation on here before but this is almost the pinnacle of my point: none of us were completely right in our interpretations, nor were we wrong in the least. We all attached our own understandings, background, and worldviews to this AI-generated piece - a piece that isn't tangible and therefore could be argued to be not real. It doesn't exist outside of the projection and will disappear the moment the projection is shut off. It's remarkable that something so abstract can draw completely different interpretations, but that's exactly what it does.
We can draw this understanding to our interpersonal interactions. Have you ever recalled an event from childhood and a family remember remembered it very differently? The truth is that you probably both were partially right and also not wrong. Understanding that is critical to bridging difficult situations or relationships. Instead of doubling down that your view is right, consider that maybe it's just a different interpretation.
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