The case for making art in a crisis | Yiyun Kang | Your Body on Tech

Yiyun Kang emphasizes the importance of art as a crucial bridge between complex scientific data and human understanding, especially during crises like climate change, species extinction, and the rise of AI. Her work aims to turn abstract or invisible issues into physical, visceral experiences that evoke emotional responses, helping people to care about these vast, often intangible problems. She discusses her projects, such as the 'Vanishing' — an immersive LED installation depicting extinct species — and the 'Passage of Water,' which visualizes freshwater loss using satellite data. Art’s role here is to make the invisible visible and foster a deeper emotional connection to pressing global crises.

Kang explores how her art transforms raw data into accessible, impactful experiences. She shares her process of translating massive datasets on water and climate change into immersive visualizations, like the 'Passage of Water,' which uses interactive technology to show the rapid loss of freshwater over time. These experiences turn abstract numbers into visceral understanding, prompting viewers to reflect on human impact and the urgent need for action. Her work at international climate conferences has demonstrated that art can serve as a powerful platform for raising awareness and inspiring dialogue among diverse audiences, including scientists, policymakers, and indigenous communities.

Kang discusses the rapid development of AI and the danger of its 'black box' nature — systems that are complex and opaque even to their creators. Her 'SOTA' project visualizes the architecture of AI models, revealing the intricate and diverse structures behind AI-generated outputs. She emphasizes the importance of understanding these invisible processes to reclaim human agency, demystify AI, and shape its future consciously. Her physical installations and visualizations seek to make AI’s logic tangible, allowing people to see and feel how machine intelligence works, and to question its role in society.

Kang highlights the importance of interdisciplinary work — combining art, science, and technology — to address wicked problems. She describes her collaborations with scientists and engineers as a way to communicate complex ideas in a form that can be felt and understood by the general public. Her artwork is meant to foster critical thinking, emotional engagement, and active participation in shaping our future with AI and environmental challenges. She advocates for building literacy about AI and climate science to maintain human agency and make informed decisions.

Throughout her talk, Kang conveys a mix of hope and caution. She recognizes the immense power and potential of AI and technology but warns against complacency and superficial understanding. Her art seeks to raise questions rather than provide answers, encouraging viewers to reflect on how they want to live and coexist with these technologies. She champions the idea that understanding and sensing the unseen can empower us to better shape how these innovations influence our shared future.