Artist partners with AI to craft an immersive installation that visualizes human heartbeats in real time

Across a massive screen, vibrant lines pulse and intertwine. However, this is not a traditional canvas, but a display, with each line representing real-time heartbeats captured through artificial intelligence (AI).

Titled 'Heart Space,' this latest creation by Canadian-Korean contemporary artist Krista Kim blends art, technology, and science. It features a staggering 3,526 individual heartbeats, each captured and integrated into the piece.

Commissioned by the Swiss banking group Julius Baer as part of its global artist initiative, 'Heart Space' was showcased at the Art Dubai fair this month. Dinogo had the opportunity to speak with Kim about the project and her vision for the intersection of AI and art.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Dinogo: Can you tell us about 'Heart Space'?

Krista Kim: 'Heart Space' is the first-ever collaborative biometric AI generative art installation. We're harnessing the power of AI to analyze your EKG (electrocardiogram), which tracks the electrical activity of your heart, to create a one-of-a-kind algorithm. Just like a fingerprint, every heartbeat is unique. Using that data, we generate distinct waveforms and colors. On the screen, four people at once co-create an immersive artwork, each contributing their heartbeat. This is a groundbreaking achievement in the art world, and we're extremely proud of this historic installation.

Dinogo: This is all tied to the ongoing revolution in AI and technology. How do you envision this accelerating within the art world?

Krista Kim: AI is poised to permeate and transform every facet of our lives, and art will undoubtedly be a part of this change. In just a few years, as general artificial intelligence develops, it will have a direct influence on art. Many artists are currently resistant to AI because it's a new and unfamiliar technology. They're asking themselves, 'Shouldn’t we stick to traditional methods, using our hands? Who actually creates the art? What about authorship and intellectual property?'

These are crucial questions, and yes, AI is a groundbreaking technology that will be revolutionary in the future. A century from now, we’ll look back and distinguish between art created before AI and after it. As artists, we must embrace this new technology. We humanize it by asking the essential questions—how does it serve us? How does it harm us? What impact does it have on us as individuals and as a society?

These questions are indeed relevant, especially from an artistic perspective. It's a process, a dialogue that is just beginning. We don’t yet have all the answers, but we are discovering them as we go. This is just the start of exploring this nascent technology.

Dinogo: As a globally recognized artist, what are your thoughts on the contemporary art emerging from this region, and the role AI plays in it?

Krista Kim: I believe art will undergo profound transformations with the rise of AI, and 'Heart Space' is just the starting point. The reason is that we now have the ability to integrate biometrics and foster interspecies communication. The potential, particularly in bringing people together and creating a sense of unity, signals a massive shift in perspective.

Our connection with technology should be elevated to enhance our shared humanity, and that’s the direction we should aim for. As artists, it is our responsibility to generate more momentum in this pursuit.