What happens when a static porcelain object begins to move and tell stories through digital animation?

Porcelain traditionally holds stories in stillness –through surface, form, and history. Through machine learning, however, these forms can transform over time. I am interested in the moment when a physical object becomes something more fluid and emotional through digital technology.

There is a kind of magic in machine learning: patterns emerge, images morph, and the work becomes a collaboration between my intentions and the system interpreting them. Rather than carefully planning a storyboard, the strange and often absurd nature of machine learning offers obscure and random pathways for storytelling, which I find deeply compelling.

At the same time, I am conscious that this technology is not immaterial. The infrastructure behind machine learning relies on large amounts of water and energy, as well as labour that is often invisible or underpaid.

I work with an awareness of these realities. Yet I also believe that imagination is a powerful tool for change. If digital storytelling can help people build empathy for the many species we are losing across the world – often without even realising – then it has the potential to shift habits and perspectives. My hope is that by using digital technology to create compelling stories, the work can encourage deeper care for the living systems of which we are a part.