{"id":11397,"date":"2026-07-14T06:52:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T06:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/?p=11397"},"modified":"2026-07-24T06:27:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T06:27:58","slug":"rhythm-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/misc\/rhythm-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhythm AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Rhythm AI&quot; by Almukhametova and Disciglio\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DDi2Rndf5w4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f56f613f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrericsir\/55388457257\/in\/dateposted\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1688-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1688-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1688-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1688-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1688-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1688-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrericsir\/55389793215\/in\/dateposted\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1694-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1694-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1694-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1694-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1694-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1694-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f56f613f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrericsir\/55389793195\/in\/dateposted\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1702-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1702-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1702-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1702-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1702-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1702-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrericsir\/55388457172\/in\/dateposted\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1700-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1700-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1700-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1700-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1700-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1700-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the key ideas to emerge from conceptual performance art is tearing down the proscenium. To define the term, the proscenium is the &#8220;window&#8221; of the stage that the audience is expected to sit behind and passively observe.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An infamous example of this in action is the performance piece <em>Rhythm 0<\/em> by Marina Abramovi\u0107. I&#8217;ll let <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rhythm_0\" title=\"\">Wikipedia explain:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The work involved Abramovi\u0107 standing still while the audience was invited to do to her whatever they wished, using one of 72 objects she had placed on a table. The items were specifically chosen to represent objects of both pleasure and pain. Some items included a rose, a feather, perfume, honey, bread, grapes, wine, scissors, a scalpel, nails, a metal bar, a gun, and a bullet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>There were no separate stages. Abramovi\u0107 and the visitors stood in the same space, making it clear that the latter were part of the work. The purpose of the piece, she said, was to find out, when given the opportunity, how far the public would go: &#8220;What is the public about and what are they going to do in this kind of situation?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month I went to see a performance of an &#8220;updated&#8221; version of this type of performance: <a href=\"https:\/\/luma.com\/RhythmAI?tk=OmD3k8\" title=\"\"><em>Rhythm AI<\/em><\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiat.place\/\" title=\"\">The Intersection of Art and Technology <\/a>(stylized as &#8220;tiat&#8221;) here in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This one-off performance was the work of artists Angelina Almukhametova and Dann Disciglio. Unlike Abramovi\u0107&#8217;s version the replaced the human performer with five iPads. The iPads booted up to display a circular graphic, then in a Siri-like voice explained the instructions &#8212; more or less the same prompt Abramovi\u0107 used 50 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this point (seen in the video above) the audience waited awkwardly for a few beats, assuming something would happen. Then ,as if on cue, a young rebellious type got up and started breaking things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Not pictured: after their turn I grabbed the hat off the table and put it on one of the iPads.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This back-and-forth dynamic of destruction and creation continued for the next 15 minutes or so, with a small number of audience members participating the most and a few taking things to extremes, risking injury in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The piece reached a sort of non-ending, with the two artists coming out and themselves destroying the iPads with shaving cream before laying flowers beneath them. Or what was left of the iPads, at any rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personally, to me this was all rather fun; but I tend to be drawn toward art that challenges conventional social norms and interactions. I got the impression that some were disappointed that the iPads didn&#8217;t actually <em>do<\/em> anything, but that&#8217;s missing the point in my mind, as the art is the experience, not the presentation. Some members of the audience clapped awkwardly at various points, perhaps uncertain if what they were seeing signified something, or perhaps they were making their own contribution to the piece. Who&#8217;s to say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That said, a part of me secretly wanted the ending to involve the manager from the Apple Store around the corner to come marching in and tell us we were all banned from their store for life after what we&#8217;d done. But that would have been a bit over the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While <em>Rhythm AI<\/em> was a one-off event, tiat&#8217;s current exhibit, &#8220;the epistemologies of slop,&#8221; runs through the end of July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Edit<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/avitalmeshi.substack.com\/p\/i-am-the-object\" title=\"\">Here&#8217;s a great writeup on Rhythm AI from local artist Avital Meshi.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Edit 2<\/strong>: Here are some of the remains of Rhythm AI in the back room at tiat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-f56f613f wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrericsir\/55415054133\/in\/dateposted\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1817-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1817-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1817-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1817-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1817-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1817-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrericsir\/55415325710\/in\/dateposted\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1815-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1815-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1815-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1815-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1815-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.mrericsir.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1815-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the key ideas to emerge from conceptual performance art is tearing down the proscenium. To define the term, the proscenium is the &#8220;window&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Rhythm AI - MrEricSir.com","description":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DDi2Rndf5w4 One of the key ideas to emerge from conceptual performance art is tearing down the proscenium. 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