ACV (Algorithmic Cultural Vandalism) is an ongoing research project by artists Pietro Lugaro and Alessandro Mac-Nelly that explores the relationship between symbols and artificial intelligence (AI). Visitors are invited to make a drawing with a robotic arm. The robot is operated by an AI that has been trained with information from an archive containing a variety of symbols, glyphs, talismans and fonts from different cultures. Man and machine create symbols together. In the process, the boundary between signs that mean something and mere scribbles is questioned. Ambiguity and the risk of misunderstanding are part of the experience. Interestingly, people keep trying to create meaning even when the AI refuses to do so. In this way, ACV criticizes symbol systems.

In two workshops (April 5 and 12), the artists invite visitors to engage intensively with the installation.

Pietro Lugaro is a research-based artist who deals with the philosophy of art, visual culture, diagrammatics and the connections between magic and technology.

Alessandro Mac-Nelly is an artist-based researcher specializing in robotics, machine learning and AI models in the context of creative processes.