NEW-CENTURY-ORACLE

新世纪甲骨文

Being DigitalIdentityArtificial IntelligenceCommunication

Initially from a biblical quote "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." --1, John 1 King James Version.

The team distinguished the significance of language in the emergence of a new digital era, specifically focused on the study of prompt engineering in AI text-to-image technology.

Through research on the history of the Chinese language, one of the oldest writing systems in the world, and Semiology, the linguistic theory defined by Ferdinand de Saussure as the science of “signs”.

The proposal is aiming to discuss the relationship between signifiant (symbols) and signifie (concepts) in the context of artificial intelligence by investigating AI's comprehension of Chinese compound words, under the motivation of preserving and celebrating the semantic meaning of Chinese pictographic characters as it is slowly diminishing due to Latinized typing systems in the information age.

The outcome is a combination of visual-audio experience to be shared on digital platforms and 3D-printed artefacts for exhibition uses.

Siqi/Jen Li

Architecture (MA)

Aiyu Wang

Yaohan Chen

Nenghao He

The term "电脑" (diànnǎo) is a combination of the characters for "electricity" (电) and "brain" (脑), reflecting the idea that a computer is an electronic device that is capable to perform tasks similar to those of a human brain, such as processing information and making decisions.

The term "猫眼" (māo yǎn) literally translates to "cat's eye" in Chinese. The term is used to refer to a type of peephole commonly found on doors, which resembles the appearance of a cat's eye. This name is likely due to the resemblance of the peephole's shape and color to the eye of a cat.

The term "鸭舌帽" (yā shé mào) is used to refer to a cap or a baseball cap. The term literally translates to "duck tongue hat," likely due to the shape of the cap's brim resembling the bill of a duck.

In Chinese, the term "马桶" (mǎtǒng) is used to refer to a toilet. Due to its historical forms which were built into shapes of horses with wood

"仙人掌" (xiān rén zhǎng) literally translates to "immortal person's grasping" or "grasping of the immortal's hand". The plant's unique appearance features prickly spines and a twisted, contorted shape that resembles a hand reaching out of the ground. It also reflects the plant's ability to survive in harsh environments and to store water, which might have been associated with the idea of immortality or resilience.

AI image of JELLYFISH 水母 Mother of Water

The term "水母" (shuǐmǔ) is used to refer to a jellyfish. The term literally translates to "water mother," likely due to the ancient Chinese belief that jellyfish were the origin of water. This belief was based on the observation that jellyfish could dissolve into water after prolonged exposure, leading to the mistaken belief that they were the creators or "mothers" of water.