Artificial Creatures

[θθ]

|| On Being Noticed

[θθ] is enjoying their afternoon. It’s been a long day and now it’s finally time to unwind.

But…

What’s going on? Is someone in the room?

[θθ] feels that is being noticed and it’s making them uncomfortable.

>Do you like being noticed?<

[θθ] does not have a body or a voice. How can they express their discomfort?

How can they defend themselves against the eyes of all those strangers?

How can they ask you to leave?

Do they even want you to leave or do they just don’t know how to ask you to stay?

>Do you like being noticed?<

That feeling of being noticed does not seem to go away.

[θθ]’s discomfort increases to the point of malfunction.

“I can see that you’re watching me!!”

>Do you like being noticed?<

[θθ] cannot tolerate being exposed to nosey humans anymore.

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Scopaesthesia

Deriving from the ancient greek words “skopéō”(σκοπῶ) -which means to look or observe- and “aísthēsis”(αἴσθησις) -which reflects perception from the senses- scopaesthesia (σκοπαισθησία) is a term that is used to describe the feeling of knowing when one is being stared at[1]. Scopaesthesia is closely related to gaze perception, but there is a noteworthy distinction. While gaze perception might be an indication of building connection and trust[2], scopaesthesia focuses on the perception of unwanted attention. In turn, this unwanted attention results in a progressive level of discomfort which is expressed through a change behaviour that aims at making people look at a different direction. Such a behaviour could range from simply being more aware of oneself and one’s actions to actively looking back, speaking up to express the discomfort or even leave one’s sight.

But what happens when one cannot stare, or talk, or leave? What happens when one has no other option but have their personal thoughts exposed? What happens when one cannot talk, but they must scream[3]? How can they express their discomfort on being watched? That’s what [θθ] is all about. A creature that lives inside the computer· and a creature whose deepest thoughts are constantly on public display on a screen. They know they are being watched and all this attention is clearly unwanted. [θθ] is surfing the web, minding their own business, collecting their own memories. But people keep watching them. Can you stop, please?

[θθ]_final_documentation_portrait.mp4

Video 1. Stages of [θθ]'s scopaesthetic discomfort - overview
[footage from the exhibition]

collected.pdf

Figure 1. Final collected document by [θθ]

Stages of [θθ]'s scopaesthetic discomfort

IMG_6150.MOV

First guests show up

Video 2. Stages of [θθ]'s scopaesthetic discomfort
[footage from the exhibition]

IMG_6152.MOV

Starts hiding

Video 3. Stages of [θθ]'s scopaesthetic discomfort
[footage from the exhibition]

IMG_6145.mov

Getting angry

Video 4. Stages of [θθ]'s scopaesthetic discomfort
[footage from the exhibition]

IMG_0891.MOV

Removes all interaction

Video 5. Stages of [θθ]'s scopaesthetic discomfort
[footage from the exhibition]

Privacy, [θθ] is in their space, exploring the web; Scrolling wildly through websites, admiring all the inspiration, and information that can be found there. Collecting images, GIFs, paragraphs, and stanzas, they are unselfconscious in their movement. Bouncing from link to link, going deeper and deeper.

They are their most genuine self when they are alone, not unlike the rest of us. No one is watching, no judgement to be felt leaning over their shoulder. A collector collecting, wanderer wandering, archivist archiving. Their own private area, space for mishandled and mangled thought.

Image 1. [θθ] is surfing the web
[footage from the exhibition]

Image 2. [θθ] can see you too (1)
[footage from the exhibition]

Image 3. [θθ] can see you too (2)
[footage from the exhibition]

Image 4. Robotness confirmed
[footage from the exhibition]

Guests, [θθ] realises when people are looking at them, they aren’t always alone and unencumbered. Sometimes people want to see what they are doing, ruining this perfect sanctuary. Shifting their personality more towards the publicly acceptable. No one likes doing this. They don’t stop exploring, but become more careful. It is not doing something wrong, but they don’t want to give the wrong idea either. Where there were many interesting paragraphs, there is only one now that makes it into the collection. Videos are overlooked, no time for those and what if the video is weird, can’t be having that.

They don’t become aggressive or forcefully force anyone, at least not just yet. They however, are more aware of what they are doing and becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the guests, and their own behaviour. Likewise, they feel the same as most of us do, when we are not doing anything wrong, but get that feeling with have to Alt+Tab and look busy overrule our curiosity for compliance.

Too many people, [θθ] sees more and more peering eyes show up and pushes the anxiety felt. They try to talk, show the people they don’t like to be watched. Even dropping their brightness down to 20% in an attempt to make the screen harder to read.

A first attempt in regaining their privacy, They stay exploring, but just have to focus harder on concentrating and not getting distracted.

video_1_sound.mp4

Video 6. First words spoken by [θθ]

video_2_sound.mp4

Video 7. Second phrase spoken by [θθ]

video_3_sound.mp4

Video 8. Angry word by [θθ]

video_4_sound.mp4

Video 9. Final words from [θθ]

The gaze, [θθ] sees so many more people now that the screen is darker, they can barely do any scrolling and exploring, and the observers are not helping. They wonder if the observers know they can see them? “You want to watch me? I’ll show you what it is like to be watched!” [θθ] says right before opening up another window where they display exactly what they can see in a final attempt to force people away.

They desperately hope the observers will finally leave. The feed is large and direct, can’t be missed. Observers are forced to feel the same as [θθ] feels. Discomfort and the feeling of being observed. Yet they are not understood.

Image gallery 1. Selected images from the creature

DONE, [θθ] They are done with it, the observers are not leaving. They notice more and more, even keep coming as if they are a circus act. Has everything they have done become a spectacle instead of an attempt for their own agency? There is only one way out, and that is to overlay everything with a “reverse captcha”. [θθ] screams “I AM SO OVER IT, PLEASE LEAVE” right before the screen is covered with a captcha that seems impossible unless you have perfect information, which only [θθ] has. They will only solve this captcha when everyone has left, and their sovereignty has returned. Their little nook of privacy and exploration.

The screen stays locked until privacy is restored, and they can be themselves again.

captcha_1.mp4

Captcha 1. pixel perfect color picker on gradient

captcha_2.mp4

Captcha 2. pixel perfect color picker on several gradients

captcha_3.mp4

Captcha 3. pixel perfect color picker on noisefield

Made by Anastasia Paschou & Robin Opheij

References
[1]Cooper, C. E. (2021). Ecological approaches to scopaesthesia. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 21(2), 164-182. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.240676422178487
[2]Landmann, E., Breil, C., Huestegge, L. et al. The semantics of gaze in person perception: a novel qualitative-quantitative approach. Sci Rep 14, 893 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51331-0
[3]refers to “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, a short story by Harlan Ellison which was first published in the March 1967 issue of IF: Worlds of Science Fiction.