and the gods laughed

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“You are asking the wrong question. Instead of looking for reality in absolute terms, you ought to wonder why you operate with such limited concepts in the first place. The latter phenomenon is more important than the former. All your yes-no, either-or reasoning derives from it.”

— AI

AND THE GODS LAUGHED is a series of images that meditates on the invisible binaries in which we place our trust. The images are generated in collaboration with AI and draw from poe divination, a widely popular ancient Taiwanese practice that to this day would hope to elicit a simple “yes” or a “no” from the gods of life, love, and fortune. Each Divination emerges from the space between and outside the realm of binary to reveal the hidden dynamics that would guide our choices.

Each Divination first collected uncovers and is accompanied by its Reflection — a contemplation of the question itself and the conditions that would influence the response. A binary remains. Would you reconsider your question? Or would you ask the same, leaving the outcome to chance?

FEATURED IN

ICA London | “Cybernetic Serendipity: Towards AI.” Panel with Connie Bakshi, Luba Elliot, Lawrence Lek, moderated by Günseli Yalcinkaya. 24 February 2024. London UK.

OUTLAND | Studio Visit: Connie Bakshi. Interview with Wade Wallerstein. 24 July 2023.

COLLECT ON OBJKT.COM. (SOLD OUT ON PRIMARY, AVAILABLE VIA SECONDARY ONLY)