Playing around in an infinite algorithmic loop
By: Salim Bayri
AI tools and technologies are designed to be used how intended. But what happens when we start to experiment, breakdown, and create glitches in these tools? Artist Salim Bayri was inspired by Fluxus artist Robert Filliou’s concept of “Permanent Creation” and in particular the stamp work that carried this concept. In essence, Filliou’s “Permanent Creation” is a philosophy that sees creativity as an inherent and ongoing aspect of existence, not limited to the confines of traditional art, and that can be expressed through various means, including everyday actions and objects. Salim is a visual artist who works with sculpture, short happenings, code, and sometimes soup. His projects often begin with a simple question or frustration about a word, a piece of tech, or an inaccessible archive—and spiral into experiments that mix precision with play. He likes tools that misfire: 3D printers, voice recognition software, language-learning apps or a word like ‘naturalisation’. His work taps into that moment of misrecognition, when a tool or person hears the wrong thing and reveals something new. For this assignment Salim was trying to apply Filliou’s concept of ‘Permanent Creation’ to contemporary algorithmic tools. He was interested in including the process of ‘not doing’ in the making—you could have a tool but not using the tool is also doing something, the refusal of using the tool. So for example, you can open ChatGPT and use it how you want to use it, then use it badly or try to break it, or not use it at all.
Assignment:
1. Pick a technology
ie: a speech recognition program.
2. Study how they want you to use it.
i.e. to clearly speak to it in English
3. What would a bad use be?
To speak Dutch to it.
4. Don’t use it
Take a moment to do something else, or nothing.
Start from any of the steps, it doesn’t have to be in consecutive order, and follow the next ones in an infinite cycle for a lifetime never obsolete party.