Nomination
serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/holly-herndon-mat-dryhurst-the-call
Berlin-based artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst approach AI as a coordination and communication technology, much like singing has been for millennia. Historically, singing techniques have been rituals for communication, leading us to build spaces and structures for gathering, transmitting information, and creating meaning. Like a choir, where many individual voices become a collective, the artists propose that AI can further augment the transformation from the individual to the collective.
Photo: Serpentine Gallery / Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst
Photo: Serpentine Gallery / Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst
Photo: Serpentine Gallery / Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst
Photo: Serpentine Gallery / Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst
The Call develops new protocols and materials for the creation of AI models. To train the AI, Herndon and Dryhurst have composed a songbook of hymns, singing exercises and a recording protocol, and recorded fifteen community choirs across the UK. The choristers are now part of a Data Trust experiment that allows for the distribution of power between the contributors to the training data and those who use the models.
The interactive spatial audio installation uses the models to activate the exhibition space. These new artifacts for gathering and ritual, co-designed by SUB, offer us renewed insight into the networked and collective nature of human creation in the 21st century.
Credits
Artists: Holly Herndon and Mathew Dryhurst
Architectural design: SUB
Curatorial lead: Eva Jaeger
Audio assistant: Ian Berman
With support from: Serpentine extended funding network, Berlin Artistic Research Grant, Fellowship, 1of1
Biography
Holly Herndon (US) and Mat Dryhurst (US) are artists renowned for their pioneering work in machine learning, software, and music. They develop their own technology and systems for living with the technology of others, often with a focus on the ownership and augmentation of digital identity and voice. These technical protocols not only facilitate expansive artworks across media, but are proposed as artworks unto themselves. In 2024 they were awarded Austria’s first Digital Human Rights Award, presented the solo exhibition The Call at Serpentine Gallery, and took part in the Whitney Biennial.