Plastic Biosphere

A silhouette of human body pixelates an anthropocene landscape stylized by AI technologies that copy the look, color schemes, and stroke styles from images of plastic, The body is in a playful, real-time interaction with moving images of anthropocene landscape that is transformed into the artwork through the aesthetics of plastics in its natural life-cycle. A kinect camera tracks the body to create real-time interactivity with the assistance of AI solutions. The real-time interaction between the machine and the human body evolves as the performance unfolds.

Plastic Biosphere is a series of artworks that highlights the imperative coexistence of humankind and the material, plastics. In the anthropocene era, humankind created over 300 million tons of plastic every year, and this production has become a geophysical force of nature. The ubiquitous material extends beyond our reach and control, creating its own life-cycles, existing as an unignorable element of the biosphere.

Plastic Biosphere series use two different applications of AI technologies: moving images and music. For moving images, I focus on the style imitation applications of Deep Learning algorithms. The style imitation algorithm is combined with real-time shaders to create interactivity. On the music side, Kıvanç is performing the music in this piece in real-time with a Musical AI system titled MASOM. Hence, Plastic Biosphere explores how the body can start a dialogue with the machinery of AI through music and moving images. The interactivity between the human body and the machine emphasizes the far-reaching effects of embodied existence of humankind on nature.


This stream is hosted on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.

This work has been funded by Canada Council for the Arts and supported by Vancouver New Music.



No.1 is an interactive installation where a silhouette of the audience’s body pixelates an anthropocene landscape that is stylized by artificial intelligence using images of plastic, and music is generated in realtime by using an AI system called MASOM.  


UNATC Garden presents the results of the online collaboration between five international artists, virtually gathered in CINETic Residencies, active in interactive art and CINETic Centre researchers and artists.

UNATC Garden Bucharest Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_H8vS0mUUeKsLv7Tkw4AbA
Ars Electronica page: https://ars.electronica.art/keplersgardens/en/cinetic-residencies-talk/
UNATC page: https://cinetic.arts.ro/plastic-biosphere/