The Fountain
Sandy Davis
Concept and Creative Direction
Industrial Design, Sound Design
Martijn van Nunen
Creative Direction, Visual Design
Technical Design
An average of 27 milliliters of water is used for every AI image generated in the process of cooling down the servers that process and store data.
The Fountain is an interactive installation designed to provoke contemplation on the interplay between two essential resources: water and data. At a time when water scarcity is a growing concern, and the demand for data and processing power continues to surge with the rise of the internet and AI, our relationship with these resources becomes increasingly complex. This installation challenges participants to explore the connection between them.
While water may seem unrelated to the production of AI, large server farms, essential for storing and processing vast amounts of data, often rely on water evaporation cooling mechanisms to function. AI server cooling consumes on average of 9 liters of water per kWh of energy used. With an average of 0.003 kWh usage to generate an AI image, we use roughly 27 millimeters of water per AI image generated.
As participants approach The Fountain they can choose to either drink water from the fountain or pour the water into the server which will trigger the generation of AI images of nature conveying a distopian connection to the natural world. Through the experience AI generated sounds of trees crackling and AI modeled sounds of nature can also be heard.
Through this interactive experience, participants are prompted to reconsider their perceptions of resource consumption, sustainability, and the intricate balance between human needs and technological advancements. As they witness the direct correlation between their actions and the functioning of the AI generation, they are encouraged to reflect on the value of AI in the context of limited resources, particularly in the face of water scarcity.
Visual process
With ComfyUI and version 7 of the Juggernaut XL model we created over 80 distinct tree designs and more than 100 varieties of shrubs and flowers. With the use of different prompts describing plants, we produced unique plants, resulting in an extensive catalog of digital flora. Once the images of the plants were generated, we utilized TouchDesigner to integrate them into a dynamic particle system. This system animates the plants, creating the illusion of an evolving, thriving digital ecosystem. By pouring water in the sink the system arranges the AI-generated plants in a random sequence each time, constructing a new natural landscape with every iteration. This ensures that no two presentations are the same, allowing for a unique visual experience in every instance.
Sound design process
The sound design for The Fountain is composed of AI generated sounds of trees and nature. In our research, we found that trees make creaking noises when they are stressed due to drought or other environmental conditions.
We decided to use sounds of trees creaking as the original sound that we then processed through RAVE AI to create a model. We also trained a model of the sounds of nature.
Excerpt of the original tree crackling audio
Source: ASMR Nature Sounds
The AI models were processed via SEMILLA.AI to create distinct tree sounds generated through different seeds of the model.
Excerpt of the original nature audio
Source: Phillip Goddard
Sandy Davis is a multidisciplinary artist born in Madrid and raised in New York. She is currently based in Barcelona.
Sandy started recording music and making films at a young age, often combining the two mediums. At fourteen, she took her first filmmaking class at Vassar College and bought her first instruments to score her own films.It wasn’t until after graduating college, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, that she decided to go back to the path she began in her teenage years.
In the time since, Sandy has dedicated herself to her musical and video practice. She has produced three of her own albums, and an
EP and has toured the US and Mexico under her artistic pseudonym, pecas, while also maintaining a career in documentary film editing. She has worked for clients including Netflix, Hulu, and National Geographic, on films such as the Emmy-award winning The Great Hack and Another Body.
In Barcelona she is currently studying a Masters in Digital Arts and Creative Technologies and has participated in an artist residency at Espronceda Institute of Arts and Culture.
Martijn van Nunen is a digital artist based in Barcelona, originally from the Netherlands. Born in 1996, Martijn's journey began in his childhood home, where he created immersive experiences by transforming his living space into a theater. This ignited his passion for storytelling and the technical intricacies of production.
Martijn graduated as a Theater Technician from the Amsterdam University of the Arts and has since been a technical producer for notable theater companies, including the National Theater, Michel van der Aa, and Touki Delphine. Beyond the stage, Martijn delved into the Dutch circus community, mastering various disciplines like juggling, acrobatics, and teeterboard. He also directed youth circus performances, guiding 14-20-year-olds in creative expression.
Today, Martijn combines his technical expertise and storytelling skills in digital art. In his work he wants to make bridges between technology and art, creating immersive experiences that reflect on the world what surrounds us.
Contact
ssandydaviss@gmail.com
martijnvn15@gmail.com