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Stochastic Camera (version 0.2) - the melting crystal ball
When light travels through a lens and lands on the digital image sensor, it transforms into digital signals as pixels. The digital camera processes those pixels in a minimal time difference, but the time distinction still exists; thus, the difference creates the concept of a pixel as an individual.
"Stochastic Camera" is a continuous art project that began in 2018. In version 0.2, machine learning image processing algorithmic logic is re-examined and rethought. The project starts with recording the melting of different ice balls over three hours. It continues for eight days, capturing approximately 24 hours of ice ball melting footage and converting it into raw pixel data for further processing. The melting ice ball symbolises a future world where crystal balls used for divination may no longer be needed while also existing as a refractive object to extend the camera's lens. The "Stochastic Camera (version 0.2)" utilises two independent formulas representing overall stability and individual autonomy. These formulas are inspired by ensemble averaging and stochastic processes, calculating the data's overall mean and predicting each pixel's colour, which results in two sets of pixel data and moving images.
Exhibition Record
Sparkles: Invitational Exhibition for New Media Artists from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and the Greater Bay Area, Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Sichuan (Y:2024)
Both Sides Now IX: Generations, Videotage, Cattle Depot Artist Village, Hong Kong (Y:2024)
the 28th IFVA Festival Media Art Exhibition, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre (Y:2023)
Alter Tempo, Gallery, HKSC Arts & Culture Centre, Hong Kong (Y:2022)
BACKGROUND
Stochastic Camera (version 0.2) was born out of a fascination with time-based perception and the mechanics of digital imaging. Analogue photography anchors its output in the past or present, capturing singular moments as frames. By rethinking this process and understanding how the central processing unit of digital cameras processes pixels, the concept emerged: instead of freezing a moment, the camera assembles pixels probabilistically, creating a frame that belongs to the future. This approach transforms photography into an act of generative speculation rather than simple documentation.
1. Central Processing Unit of Digital Cameras
I began to study how light is converted into digital pixels by image sensors. Digital cameras process these pixels quickly, but there is a time gap that makes each pixel unique. This pixel autonomy fascinates me. Can we preserve their individuality while harnessing the efficiency of machine learning to predict and generate images from data?
2. Lens and Ice
The lens and ice share a crystalline structure, but behave differently. The lens focuses light with precision, while ice refracts light unpredictably as it melts. Like a controlled machine versus a natural process, their interaction creates an analogy of stability and transformation, inviting interpretations of the fluidity and form of light.
Achievement
Aesthetica Art Prize Longlist, Aesthetica Magazine (Y:2024)
Media Art Category Finalist, The 28th ifva Awards, Hong Kong Arts Centre (Y:2022)
