Deep Meditations, Learning to See at Kennin-ji Temple (2019)

Kennin-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan, 14–24 Mar 2019 · organized by Kyoto University

Images

Deep Meditations: A brief history of almost everything by Memo Akten, installation view at Kennin-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan, 2019.

Works shown

For more information on the works shown here, see: Deep Meditations: A brief history of almost everything, Learning to See: Gloomy Sunday.

InstallationVideoArtificial IntelligenceConsciousnessEcologyGalleryMindMusic & Sound DesignOpen Source

Deep Meditations: A brief history of almost everything

2018

VideoArtificial IntelligenceGalleryMindOpen SourcePerception

Learning to See: Gloomy Sunday

2017

Words(7 / 7)

The artist’s own writing about this work.

2025
Externalizing Imagination. Memo Akten and Katie Hofstadter. Invited essay for AI | Alternative Intentions. Right Click Save, March 24, 2025. · Invited
2021
Deep Visual Instruments: Realtime Continuous, Meaningful Human Control over Deep Neural Networks for Creative Expression. Memo Akten. Goldsmiths, University of London, 2021. · PhD thesis
2018
Deep Meditations: Controlled Navigation of Latent Space. Memo Akten, Rebecca Fiebrink, Mick Grierson. 2nd Workshop on Machine Learning for Creativity and Design at Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2018), 2018. · Academic
2018
Deep Meditations · Independent
2018
Deep Meditations: Technical Paper Explainer · Independent
2017
Hello, World! · Independent
2017
We are made of star dust · Independent

Press(77 / 77)

Articles, reviews and other press relating to this work.

Interviews(6 / 6)

2026 Memo Akten on Rituals as Algorithms, Le Random, 13 Jul 2026 · Interview
2022 The Networked Condition: Memo Akten Case Study, Abandon Normal Devices, 12 Apr 2022 · Interview
2020 Memo Akten’s art sees artificial intelligence tackle life, love, and faith, Dazed & Confused, 19 Feb 2020 · Interview
2019 Memo Akten: Spiritual Technology, Metal Magazine, 30 Nov 2019 · Interview
2019 Beyond The Data: Memo Akten Interviewed, Clash Magazine, 29 Aug 2019 · Interview
2018 Machine Learning Art: An Interview With Memo Akten, Artnome, 16 Dec 2018 · Interview

Features(9 / 9)

2025 【演算法的靈光】在數據裡尋找靈魂梅莫．阿克騰：在人工智慧中尋找靈性與感知的邊界, ARTouch / Art & Investment 392, 19 May 2025 · Article
2021 De l’intelligence en art, Art Press #492, 1 Oct 2021 · Review
2020 Beyond “GANism”: AI Art as Conceptual Art, AI CIAC MTL 3, Apr · Article
2020 Bots vs. AI: Two Kinds of Software Art Take Different Approaches to the Digital Commons, Art in America, 23 Jan 2020 · Article
2019 Deep meditations by Memo Akten, Metal Magazine, 29 Jul 2019 · Article
2019 Plurality Of Digital Practices, Art in the Digital Age, 18 Jan 2019 · Review
2018 AI is their paintbrush, but the artwork is no less human, Fast Company, 11 Sep 2018 · Article
2018 Memo Akten Explores Human-Machine Interaction with AI, Hyundai / Bloomberg Art and Technology series, short documentary profile of Memo Akten, 1 May 2018 · Documentary · Video (4:13)
2017 DocLab exhibition asks “Are robots imitating us or are we imitating robots?”, We Make Money Not Art, 28 Nov 2017 · Review

Books(12 / 12)

2025 Cinematic Algorithms: The Rise of Generative AI in Video Art and Visual Culture, James Hutson, Andrew Smith, CRC Press · Book
2024 The Art of Artificial Intelligence: Philosophical Keywords, Alice Barale, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 19 · Book
2024 Data-Driven Innovation in the Creative Industries, Melissa Terras, Vikki Jones, Nicola Osborne, Chris Speed (eds.), Routledge, pp. 206 · Book
2024 Art and Culture in the Multiverse of Metaverses: Immersion, Presence, and Interactivity in the Digital Age, James Hutson, Springer Nature, pp. 82–83 · Book
2023 Autographic Design: The Matter of Data in a Self-Inscribing World, Dietmar Offenhuber, MIT Press, pp. 183–184, 192–194 · Book
2023 Digital Art (World of Art, fourth edition), Christiane Paul, Thames & Hudson, pp. 222–224 · Book
2022 Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to AI for Architects, Neil Leach, Bloomsbury Publishing, pp. 87–88, 183, 185, 187, 203 · Book
2022 The Meaning of Creativity in the Age of AI, Raivo Kelomees, Varvara Guljajeva, Oliver Laas (eds.), Estonian Academy of Arts, pp. 33, 35, 66 · Book
2022 Collective Wisdom: Co-Creating Media for Equity and Justice, Katerina Cizek, William Uricchio, MIT Press, pp. 318 · Book
2022 The Contested Territory of Architectural Theory, Elie G. Haddad (eds.), Routledge, pp. 234 · Book
2021 Art in the Age of Machine Learning, Sofian Audry, MIT Press, pp. 4, 56–59, 150–152, 160, 176 · Book
2020 The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity, Arthur I. Miller, MIT Press, pp. 74–76 · Book

Catalogs(3 / 3)

2026 EMERGENCE, Kate Vass, Ágnes Ferenczi (eds.), Kate Vass Galerie, pp. 95–114 · Catalog
2023 Contemporary Istanbul, 18th Edition — Catalogue, Contemporary Istanbul, pp. 129 · Catalog
2020 Immaterial/Re-material: A Brief History of Computing Art, Jérôme Neutres (eds.), UCCA Center for Contemporary Art / Culture and Art Publishing House · Catalog

Other Coverage(13 / 13)

2026 Off-Grid Aesthetics: Where the AI Prompt Cannot Go, Right Click Save, 17 Jul 2026 · Article
2025 Christiane Paul on Defining AI Art, Le Random, 23 Apr 2025 · Article
2023 Exploring ArtScience Museum’s ‘Notes From the Ether: From NFTs to AI', Stir world, 23 Sep 2023
2022 AI Artist Spotlight: Memo Akten, NightCafe, 22 Dec 2022 · Article
2021 Like an A.I. acid trip, this neural net rebuilds reality with flowers and fire, Digital Trends, 4 Aug 2021 · Article
2021 Memo Akten: the environmentally conscious digital artist, Art Rights, 13 May 2021 · Article
2021 An Exhibition of Creative AI and Generative Art: ‘Thin as Thorns In These Thoughts in Us’, Art Now LA, 29 Jan 2021 · Review
2020 Artificial Intelligence art critics, Wired, 25 Jan 2020 · Article
2018 Learning to See, MIT Docubase, 26 Nov 2018 · Article
2018 AI art is on the rise – but how do we measure its success?, Apollo, 13 Sep 2018 · Review
2018 Made by Machine, The Indian Express, 6 Sep 2018 · Article
2018 Learning To See – Making deep neural network predictions on live camera input, CreativeApplications.net, 20 Mar 2018 · Article
2018 How to trick artificial intelligence?, Tech Insider, 20 Mar 2018 · Article

News(9 / 9)

2024 Art Exhibit Explores Distributed Consciousness at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute, UC San Diego Today, 12 Jan 2024 · News
2019 Memo Akten's "Deep Meditations", Wired, 16 Jul 2019 · News
2019 GTC 2019 Keynote with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, NVIDIA, Learning to See shown at 0:32, with the voiceover “[AI is] inventing new ways to bring out the creative genius in us all”, 18 Mar 2019 · News · Video
2018 AI-Generated Art Just Got Its First Mainstream Gallery Show. See It Here—and Get Ready, Artnet News, 29 Aug 2018 · News
2018 Learning to see : la machine-artiste de Memo Akten au Grand Palais !, Grand Palais, 14 Jun 2018 · News
2018 Что происходит, когда ИИ знает только о цветах, волнах и огне, Shazoo, 22 Mar 2018 · News
2018 Watch neural networks see only what they've been trained to see, Boingboing, 21 Mar 2018 · News
2018 Снятся ли нейросетям электроовцы? Машина разглядела цветы в проводах, Tech Onliner, 20 Mar 2018 · News
2018 Gloomy Sunday, Prosthetic Knowledge, 18 Mar 2018 · News

Academic Papers(25 / 25)

2025 Bizarre Love Triangle: Generative AI, Art and Kitsch, Dejan Grba, Journal of Digital Media & Interaction 8 (20), pp. 65–80, 30 Dec 2025 · Academic paper
2025 The End of the Image, Shawn Lawson, Mutual Images Journal 13, pp. 115–128, 20 Dec 2025 · Academic paper
2025 Responding to Global Challenges Through Data-Driven Art, Martin Zeilinger, The New Real Magazine 2 (1): Planetary Futures, pp. 48–52, 27 Jun 2025 · Academic paper
2025 Geleceğin Sanatına Yolculuk: Dijital Sanatın Yapay Zekayla Buluşması, Semra Beyza Kahraman, Sezgi Nur Öztürk, İstanbul Arel Üniversitesi İletişim Çalışmaları Dergisi 27, pp. 120–134, 24 Jun 2025 · Academic paper
2024 Reflexive Data Curation: Opportunities and Challenges for Embracing Uncertainty in Human–AI Collaboration, Anne Arzberger, Maria Luce Lupetti, Elisa Giaccardi, ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 31 (6), article 74, pp. 74:5, Dec · Academic paper
2024 Visions of Destruction: Exploring a Potential of Generative AI in Interactive Art, Mar Canet Sola, Varvara Guljajeva, 17th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction (VINCI 2024), article 36, pp. 1–8, Dec · Academic paper
2024 Curadoria, cognição e sensibilidade: exposições de arte com inteligência artificial, Daniel Hora, Revista VIS 23 (2), pp. 78–94, Dec · Academic paper
2024 Convergence and Process Orientation in Algorithm and Generative Art, Qiaohe Yang, Proceedings of the 2024 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts (SSHA 2024), Atlantis Press, pp. 339–341, 21 Jun 2024 · Academic paper
2024 Machine Learning Processes as Sources of Ambiguity: Insights from AI Art, Christian Sivertsen, Guido Salimbeni, Anders Sundnes Løvlie, Steve Benford, Jichen Zhu, Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’24), article 165, pp. 1–14, 11 May 2024 · Academic paper
2024 Visions Of Destruction: Exploring Human Impact on Nature by Navigating the Latent Space of a Diffusion Model via Gaze, Mar Canet Sola, Varvara Guljajeva, Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI ’24), pp. 1–5, 11 Feb 2024 · Academic paper
2024 Beyond Hegel's End of Art: Exploring the Implications of Memo Akten’s Deep Meditations: A Brief History of Almost Everything for Contemporary Aesthetics and Metaphysics, Lai Man Tin, Journal of Interactive Media 2 (2/2024) · Academic paper
2024 A Questionnaire on Art and Machine Learning, Michelle Kuo, Pamela M. Lee (eds.), OCTOBER 189, pp. 97, Christiane Paul’s response; Summer 2024 · Academic paper
2024 Yeni Medyanın Sanata Etkisi: Dijital Sanat Paradigmasında Değişen Sanat Algısı ve Sanatçıların Bakış Açısı, Meltem Tan, İzmir Kâtip Çelebi Üniversitesi, Master’s thesis · Academic paper
2023 Anatomical Intelligence: Live coding as performative dissection, Joana Chicau, Jonathan Reus, Organised Sound 28 (2), pp. 290–304, 22 Aug 2023 · Academic paper
2023 AI Psychoanalysis – An ever elusive audio-visual web experience, Simon Fankhauser, MA thesis, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture · Academic paper
2022 De-Autonomy of Post-Human Imagination: New Directions in the Theory of Art, Mikhail A. Stepanov, Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art 12, pp. 663–673, 11 Oct 2022 · Academic paper
2022 Architectural Hallucinations: What Can AI Tell Us About the Mind of an Architect?, Neil Leach, Architectural Design 92 (3), Machine Hallucinations: Architecture and Artificial Intelligence, pp. 66–71, 7 Apr 2022 · Academic paper
2022 Experiential AI: Enhancing explainability in artificial intelligence through artistic practice, Drew Hemment, Dave Murray-Rust, Vaishak Belle, Ruth Aylett, Matjaz Vidmar, Frank Broz, University of Edinburgh (preprint), pp. 8, 18 Mar 2022 · Academic paper
2022 Deep Else: A Critical Framework for AI Art, Dejan Grba, Digital 2 (1), pp. 1–32, 5 Jan 2022 · Academic paper
2022 Towards a heuristic model for experiential AI: Analysing The Zizi show in The New Real, Drew Hemment, Martin Zeilinger, Matjaz Vidmar, Jake Elwes, Holly Warner, David Sarmiento Pérez, Robin Hill, DRS2022: Bilbao, pp. 10 · Academic paper
2022 Analysis of Exhibition Spaces in the Case of Artificial Intelligence Artworks, Şeyma Göktürk, Master’s thesis in Architecture, Izmir University of Economics · Academic paper
2021 Prototyping Machine Learning Through Diffractive Art Practice, Hugo Scurto, Baptiste Caramiaux, Frédéric Bevilacqua, Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2021 (DIS ’21), pp. 2013–2025, 28 Jun 2021 · Academic paper
2020 Memo Akten’s Learning to See: from machine vision to the machinic unconscious, Claudio Celis Bueno, María Jesús Schultz Abarca, AI & SOCIETY 36 (2021), pp. 1177–1187, 23 Sep 2020 · Academic paper
2020 Creative AI: From Expressive Mimicry to Critical Inquiry, Angus G. Forbes, Artnodes 26, pp. 1–10, 21 Jul 2020 · Academic paper
2019 AI: More Than Human, Barbican, 16 May–26 August, Thomas Hodgson, Sound Studies 6 (1), 2020, pp. 99–103, 4 Nov 2019 · Academic paper

Collections(2 / 2)

2024 M+ Museum of Contemporary Visual Culture, Hong Kong
2019 Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation

Show History(1 / 1)

Group Exhibitions(1 / 1)

2019 Kennin-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan, 14–24 Mar 2019 · organized by Kyoto University Deep Meditations: A brief history of almost everything Learning to See: Gloomy Sunday