artworks
Light and Cold Conversations: Atlantic, Algorithms and Visibility
Single-Screen Digital Moving Image, 13’11’’
2023
Single-Screen Digital Moving Image, 13’11’’
2023
Stills
Introduction:
At the end of the last century, the Detroit music production duo Drexciya imagined an underwater race — the Drexciyans — believed to be the descendants of pregnant African women thrown overboard from slave ships bound for the Americas. Cast into the Atlantic alongside cargo deemed dangerous or diseased, these women's unborn children eventually adapted to breathe underwater.
This film draws on and expands this mythology, envisioning a future shaped by artificial intelligence. In this speculative world, the Drexciyans and AI together re-examine humanity's recent history, interrogating the political economy and representational politics embedded in digital infrastructure and image circulation.
AI enables more efficient extraction of resources while simultaneously demanding ever-expanding infrastructure — server clusters, storage facilities, cloud computing centres — whose planetary costs, including resource depletion, exploitative African digital labour, and industrial noise, are deliberately concealed to maintain the sanitised, transparent public image of computing technology. Meanwhile, the way sensors sample light and images circulate introduces noise of a different kind: compression algorithms disproportionately sacrifice detail in darker tonal ranges, resulting in greater information loss and more distortion — a technical encoding of racial inequity.
Across Africa, many Black workers endure low wages and severe psychological harm as they manually remove violent, hateful, and illegal content from AI training datasets. Yet until Western media exposed these practices, this workforce remained invisible. Like the Black infrastructure — undersea cables, data centres, mineral supply chains — that sustains the digital economy, these labourers have their faces and voices deliberately hidden so as not to disturb the pristine, frictionless fantasy of artificial intelligence — a concealment that carries distinctly fascistic undertones.
Further, the Drexciyans question the contemporary politics of "representation," wherein clear, high-resolution images are privileged while ambiguous or degraded images are treated as aesthetically and morally deficient. The image world systematically excludes Black representation under the guise of technical limitations: on one hand, film production and projection infrastructure on the African continent remains underdeveloped; on the other, camera and film technologies have been calibrated for white skin from their inception, perpetuating the failure to adequately capture darker complexions. The Drexciyans also suspect the Western film festival system of complicity — these institutions have long marginalised Black African filmmakers and images in terms of visibility, their red carpets reserved for white luminaries. AI may appear capable of generating narratives about Black Africans, yet in practice it deepens their exploitation in myriad ways. Ultimately, AI consigns Black subjects not to the visibility of prestigious film festivals, but to their precise opposite: transparency — the condition of being looked through rather than looked at.
As installed at Wonde Room: Art Exploration in the Web3, Metaverse, and AIGC Era, Advance Art Museum, Changsha, China, 2023
Exhibitions and Screenings:
Parallel and Intersection, In Gallery, Taiyuan, China, 2024
Beyond System, Arbre Art Centre, Shenzhen, China, 2024
Conflicts Within and Without, SNAP, Shanghai, China, 2024
2024 Nanjing D9Lock Art Festival: Fusion, Harmony, Coexistence, Growth, D9Lock, Nanjing, China, 2024
Within Iceless Age, theBlanc, New York, USA, 2024
Immersion, Lockwood Annexe 5, Goldsmiths, London, UK, 2024
GOOGOL, Online ( Powered by New Art City ), 2024
The Realm of Time and Space, Atom Space, SeeDliNG Fair, Shenzhen, China, 2024
Code Reconstruction: Artistic Exploration in the Age of AIGC, Art Museum of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, China, 2024
The Atmosphere of Growing Art, Line Stones Gallery, Jingdezhen, China, 2023
Wonde Room: Art Exploration in the Web3, Metaverse, and AIGC Era, Advance Art Museum, Changsha, China, 2023
Luohu Shenzhen-Hongkong Culture Festival, Jinpi Fang, Shenzhen, China, 2023
Cold and Light Conversations: Agency and Technology, Imaginary Z, Hangzhou, China, 2023
Plant-generated Images, Wuhan Photography Art Centre, Wuhan, China, 2023
AI & NI, 4C Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, 2023
Doves and Magpies Sharing a Nest, The Forge Art Gallery, London, UK, 2023
Wuhan University Graduate Student Academic Science and Technology Festival “Distorted Imagination: Technological Rethinking under the Annotation of Cinema”, School of Arts, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, 2024
Experimental Film Night, The Delta INST + GODOWN, Hangzhou, China, 2024
ONED Film Festival China Touring Screening Program, Lanzhou / Suzhou / Shanghai / Tianjin / Yangshuo / Yichang / Chengdu, China, 2024
The 8th abC Art Book Fair, OōEli, Hangzhou, China, 2023
Jetty Screening, Dali, China, 2023
C-POP Theatre, Beijing, China, 2023
Ferry, Chengdu, China, 2023
Parallel and Intersection, In Gallery, Taiyuan, China, 2024
Beyond System, Arbre Art Centre, Shenzhen, China, 2024
Conflicts Within and Without, SNAP, Shanghai, China, 2024
2024 Nanjing D9Lock Art Festival: Fusion, Harmony, Coexistence, Growth, D9Lock, Nanjing, China, 2024
Within Iceless Age, theBlanc, New York, USA, 2024
Immersion, Lockwood Annexe 5, Goldsmiths, London, UK, 2024
GOOGOL, Online ( Powered by New Art City ), 2024
The Realm of Time and Space, Atom Space, SeeDliNG Fair, Shenzhen, China, 2024
Code Reconstruction: Artistic Exploration in the Age of AIGC, Art Museum of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, China, 2024
The Atmosphere of Growing Art, Line Stones Gallery, Jingdezhen, China, 2023
Wonde Room: Art Exploration in the Web3, Metaverse, and AIGC Era, Advance Art Museum, Changsha, China, 2023
Luohu Shenzhen-Hongkong Culture Festival, Jinpi Fang, Shenzhen, China, 2023
Cold and Light Conversations: Agency and Technology, Imaginary Z, Hangzhou, China, 2023
Plant-generated Images, Wuhan Photography Art Centre, Wuhan, China, 2023
AI & NI, 4C Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, 2023
Doves and Magpies Sharing a Nest, The Forge Art Gallery, London, UK, 2023
Wuhan University Graduate Student Academic Science and Technology Festival “Distorted Imagination: Technological Rethinking under the Annotation of Cinema”, School of Arts, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, 2024
Experimental Film Night, The Delta INST + GODOWN, Hangzhou, China, 2024
ONED Film Festival China Touring Screening Program, Lanzhou / Suzhou / Shanghai / Tianjin / Yangshuo / Yichang / Chengdu, China, 2024
The 8th abC Art Book Fair, OōEli, Hangzhou, China, 2023
Jetty Screening, Dali, China, 2023
C-POP Theatre, Beijing, China, 2023
Ferry, Chengdu, China, 2023
Film Festival Selections:
MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival and Golden Rooster Film Exhibition (Macao), Macao, China, 2024 - Official Selection
British University International Students Film Festival, New Cairo, Egypt, 2024 - Official Selection
La Sur Real Film Festival, Berlin, Germany, 2024 - Official Selection
Origin Western Film Festival, Xi'an, China, 2024 - Official Selection
Beijing International Film Festival · Beijing College Student Film Festival, Beijing, China, 2024 - Official Selection
He Dong Auteur Film Festival, Yuncheng, China, 2024 - Official Selection
Duemila30 International Film Festival, Milan, Italy, 2024 - Official Selection
Frome International Climate Film Festival, Frome, UK, 2024 - Official Selection
International Film Festival of Audiovisual Theory Students, Prague, Czechia, 2023 - Best Experimental Film (Kurt Kren’s Scratched Glasses)
Varsity Film Expo, Nairobi, Kenya, 2023 - Honourable Mention
International Alternative Media Film Festival, Mexico City, Mexico, 2023 - Official Selection
AIU Film Festival, Jahra, Kuwait, 2023 - Official Selection
Ningbo Short Film Festival, Ningbo, China, 2023 - Best Experimental Short Film Nomination
Xi Ying Light My Fire Young Film Festival, Xi'an, China, 2023 - Official Selection
HiShorts! Film Festival, Xiamen, China, 2023 - Official Selection
Shishan Film Festival, Chengdu, China, 2023 - Official Selection
Shanghai International Short Week, Shanghai, China, 2023 - Best AI Short
MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival and Golden Rooster Film Exhibition (Macao), Macao, China, 2024 - Official Selection
British University International Students Film Festival, New Cairo, Egypt, 2024 - Official Selection
La Sur Real Film Festival, Berlin, Germany, 2024 - Official Selection
Origin Western Film Festival, Xi'an, China, 2024 - Official Selection
Beijing International Film Festival · Beijing College Student Film Festival, Beijing, China, 2024 - Official Selection
He Dong Auteur Film Festival, Yuncheng, China, 2024 - Official Selection
Duemila30 International Film Festival, Milan, Italy, 2024 - Official Selection
Frome International Climate Film Festival, Frome, UK, 2024 - Official Selection
International Film Festival of Audiovisual Theory Students, Prague, Czechia, 2023 - Best Experimental Film (Kurt Kren’s Scratched Glasses)
Varsity Film Expo, Nairobi, Kenya, 2023 - Honourable Mention
International Alternative Media Film Festival, Mexico City, Mexico, 2023 - Official Selection
AIU Film Festival, Jahra, Kuwait, 2023 - Official Selection
Ningbo Short Film Festival, Ningbo, China, 2023 - Best Experimental Short Film Nomination
Xi Ying Light My Fire Young Film Festival, Xi'an, China, 2023 - Official Selection
HiShorts! Film Festival, Xiamen, China, 2023 - Official Selection
Shishan Film Festival, Chengdu, China, 2023 - Official Selection
Shanghai International Short Week, Shanghai, China, 2023 - Best AI Short
Screened at The Delta INST + GODOWN, 2024
|
Exhibited at SeeDliNG Fair, 2024
|
Reviews (Selected)
"Light and cold conversations...serves as a powerful commentary on the complex relationship between technology, race, justice, and representation. The film's focus on digital representation and the politics of images connects to the broader discussions around digital inclusion and access to technology. The film raises questions about the ethical implications of ai and its potential to exacerbate existing inequalities and biases. The film encourages critical thinking about technology and its role in society, prompting viewers to consider the broader social and environmental impacts of technological advancement. By raising awareness about these issues, the film contributes to the achievement of several SDGs, particularly those focused on reducing inequalities, promoting responsible consumption and production, and building sustainable and inclusive societies. "
—— Varsity Film Expo, 2023
"Taking the hidden sacrifices behind artificial intelligence as a starting point, Juntao Yang re-examines the costs and consequences that technological progress has brought. In early 2023, OpenAI was revealed to have outsourced the task of making AI safer to Kenyan workers, who were hired to train models to recognise extreme content involving violence, hatred, and abuse. The intense exposure to harmful material has caused workers to suffer severe psychological distress, yet their meagre wages cannot begin to compensate for such damage. Despite OpenAI's claims that AI can enhance human well-being, behind its development lies relentless psychological exploitation, racial discrimination, and resource depletion. Through his moving image work, Juntao Yang raises urgent questions about the future of AI — is it a triumph of human intelligence, or a game of power and capital? "
—— 沈葛予婧
"... A particularly notable film was Light and Cold Conversations: Atlantic, Algorithms and Visibility. By juxtaposing the Western slave trade with modern digital infrastructures, such as cloud computing, data centers and undersea fibre-optic cables, the film examines how digital colonization can act as an 'invisible' force that subtly constructs and maintains the realities of racism and environmental crisis. In addition, the film employs artificial intelligence visualization techniques to transport viewers to a futuristic world that is both unique and fascinating. While activating alternative imaginations that have been suppressed or ignored, the film provokes further reflection on the ethics of artificial intelligence and technological optimism. "
—— Ketong Ou
As installed at Outman, XXYS Cafe, Changsha, China, 2023
News image and poster