01 Sweat for Generation - Experiencing the Labor Unseen
“Sweat for Generation - Experiencing the Labor Unseen” transforms AI's effortless facade into a raw display of human labor, revealing the hidden power consumption behind seamless digital interactions we exploit daily. Participants turn the hand crank intensely to generate a single query, exposing the resource-demanding process masked behind. A single AI query materializes as hours of sustained physical exertion- sweat, muscle strain, raw human effort powering complex machine learning models. By bodily mapping the energy economy of AI, the artwork exposes data centers, global supply chains, and mineral extraction obscured by digital interfaces. They challenge audiences to confront the true cost of digital convenience and reflect on the abuse of it.
Threshold Lab explores the intersection between technology and culture, examining their shared boundaries.
It is a dynamic collective of six artists from diverse backgrounds in Interactive Arts, Architecture, Computer Science, and Technology Innovation, based in the USA and China. Their interdisciplinary approach combines creativity and technology to foster dialogue and drive transformative change between humans and AI.
Amo Zeng
Ziwei Ji
Xiesiyuan Shu
Sirui Li
Yin Li
Devu