Vision Machines: Ensembles

Vision machines are not neutral. They are always part of larger ensembles—groupings of people, infrastructure and ideas that often work to reinforce norms and conditions of unfreedom. To resist these ensembles—and the vision machines that serve them—we need to create new assemblages of people, places and machines.

‍6:00pm–6:05pm - Introduction - Andrew Brooks, Nick Croggon

6:05pm–6:50pm - Presentations - André Dao, Gary Foley, Thao Phan  

6:50pm–7:15pm - In conversation - Andre Dao, Gary Foley, Thao Phan, Andrew Brooks (moderator), Nick Croggon (moderator)

7:15pm–7:30pm - Break

7:30pm–8:00pm - Performance - Worlds Only “Stable Confusion”

Part Human, part machine, “Stable Confusion” playfully scrambles the signals. As Worlds Only performs, Junior Major generates real-time visuals through improvised AI-confounding code. Using real-time stable diffusion and live sound-reactive inputs, the system generates shifting, responsive imagery that evolves with each performance. Human inputs disrupt the machine’s attempts to interpret, classify, and predict what it sees and hears. First presented at Soft Centre in 2025, the work explores decay, distortion, and distance.