Daria Karakulova
The Curator of Distant Connections

The installation has an interface resembling an arcade machine. Virtual reels rotate, cycling through symbols, each of which is associated with a separate field of knowledge—from linguistics to quantum mechanics, from mycology to behavioural economics. Pressing the button triggers a random combination of concepts which the system uses to begin to construct a new connections, forming a visual image.

The project aims to look at today’s knowledge production. Linear logic and stable boundaries between disciplines are replaced with random connections. The combinations do not follow any pre-defined hierarchy but emerge from collisions of different areas of knowledge. Randomness is not considered a hindrance, but a way to discover links between things that are not traditionally seen as connected.

The project contextualizes this process within contemporary epistemologies and work in the field of AI. The generative model analyzes selected concepts and proposes hypotheses about connections between them, serving as a navigator between diverse fields. Using a prompt provided by the artist, the system searches for unexpected intersection points and translates them into visual forms. In doing so, it gives preference to the most “glitchy” images—those in which the model goes beyond its own set patterns and reveals new configurations of knowledge.