Me + You @ MCS

06.06.2024

Showing daily at Michigan Central Station, Summer 2024.

I'm very happy about the second iteration and installation of the Me + You sculpture by Suchi Reddy and her team at Reddymade. This time the sculpture lives in Detroit for the re-opening of the historic Michigan Central Station.

My tech team and I rebuilt the backend using open-source ML/AI tools for transcription and sentiment analysis. We also helped Reddymade reimagine portions of the sculpture that took a different form this time around, including a new real-time graphics layer behind the physical sculpture.

This is one of my favorite projects ever, and I'm forever thankful to have been a part of a much larger effort involving dozens of other talented creatives, engineers, builders, and coordinators.

More info about the sculpture can be found here.

An interactive AI light sculpture, me + you represents the coevolution between human wisdom and technological advancement—a primary theme of the Michigan Central Art Program. Originally created by Reddymade’s founder Suchi Reddy in 2021, this new iteration of me + you is a transformative experience that responds to the distinct historical architecture of the Station’s South Concourse.

Reddymade’s guiding principle is “form follows feeling,” a design ethos informed by neuroaesthetics, the study of how the brain responds to the design of our surroundings. The me + you installation invites visitors to speak in English a single-word vision of the future into the cloud base at designated points. Using AI technology, me + you acts as a translator to express back that word as a special pattern of light and color that shimmers across the structure, like a mandala, unique to each visitor. The artwork’s focus to assemble individual inputs into a collective expression supports the Art Program’s emphasis on open dialogue and engagement through artistic experimentation. With the opening of the Station, me + you further reflects Michigan Central’s commitment to generate a vibrant space for creative innovation in Detroit.

- Michigan Central

The interactive light sculpture by Suchi Reddy is the inaugural commission of Michigan Central’s Art Program and reflects a commitment to generating a vibrant space for creative innovation in Detroit.

Powered by open-source artificial intelligence, the participatory artwork translates visitors’ individual visions for the future into unique kinetic light responses that get woven into three portals displaying our collective feeling for the future.

The installation of me + you for Michigan Central Train Station’s re-opening perfectly aligns with the innovative vision of the Michigan Central Art Program. Originally created by Reddymade’s founder Suchi Reddy in 2021, the new commissioned iteration of me + you responds to the distinct historical architecture of the Station's South Concourse. Capturing visitors' perspective on their own future, alongside a collective vision for Detroit, the work embodies the Art Program’s goals to foster an environment that encourages dialogue, inspires creativity, and engages community through the integration of art and technology.

Utilizing open-source artificial intelligence (AI) to create a dynamic, interactive, and transformative experience, me + you invites participants to reflect on their visions for the future.

me + you represents the coevolution between human wisdom and technological advancement—a core theme of the Michigan Central Art Program. Visitors speak a single-word vision of the future into clusters of lights at designated points. Generated through AI technology, me + you acts a translator to understand the emotion in the word and translate it into a unique pattern of light and colors. The individual colors are then projected into three large portals that weave together our collective emotion.

The artwork's focus to collect and translate individual inputs into a collective expression also supports the Art Program’s emphasis on civic engagement through artistic experimentation. The national acclaim that me + you achieved at the Smithsonian's "FUTURES" exhibition in 2021–22 underlines its potential to spotlight Detroit as a leading destination for site-specific art experiences in the United States. Integrating this significant public artwork into Michigan Central's spaces enhances the station's cultural presence and emphasizes Detroit as a forward-thinking city.

Following a six year restoration and renovation of the historic Michigan Central Station by Ford Motor Company, the Art Program embarks on its vision to transform the area into a vibrant landscape that encourages creative exploration and cultural interaction. By empowering visionary artists to challenge boundaries, the Art Program aims to position artists as innovators. Michigan Central’s presentation of me + you inaugurates their commitment to be a catalyst for shaping the visionary creative projects at the intersection of art, society, and technology.

- Michigan Central

Images courtesy of John Marshall via Dezeen