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Death Imitates Language — series page

Source: https://harm.work/series/death-imitates-language/all
Ingested: 2026-04-13

Artist Statement

"In the years leading up to 'Death Imitates Language', I was trying more and more to be an 'artist artist', someone who fitted into the gallery space and the art markets in conventional terms. I had some success, but I also had a sense of sadness about the process. It felt a bit hollow and disconnected from the Net Art which I saw myself as coming out of."

The artist describes considering abandoning the art world to focus on programming, during which they explored generative graphics but felt the work needed "more development and direction to add to the randomness created by the programmes."

Key Concept Origin

The work was inspired by viewing a video by "programmer, philosopher and general provocateur, Vinay Gupta, about algorithms and dating apps." Gupta estimated that apps like Tinder were "responsible for essentially engineering about 10% of the dates that took place in the countries where the app was used."

The artist contemplated algorithmic determination of biology: "if a child was conceived in one of these short and sharp relationships...that child's biology would be, in part, algorithmically determined. The biopolitics of that were quite a lot to get my head around."

Series Description

"A series of works exploring the development of meaning in generative aesthetics using micro feedback and a genetic algorithm. It consists of a website and a series of printed and boxed collage works."

The website contains "an enormous population of speculative works" generated through inherited "sequences of information - a sort of DNA." Selection occurs through "micro feedback or 'likes'" which, "combined with visitor statistics and simulated aging - causes the genetic program to mutate and (arguably) improve over time."

"When creatures reach their optimal state they are 'frozen' and translated into physical objects. These objects are layered in construction, partly transparent and square."

Series: 2016
Featured in: Rhizome's Net Art Anthology

Works