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Dessislava Lyutakova
Diploma 6
Imagine that calculating machines occurred in nature, but that people could not pierce their cases. And now suppose that these people use these appliances, say as we use calculation, though of that they know nothing. They make predictions with the aid of calculating machines but for them manipulating these queer objects is experimenting. – Wittgenstein 1939 In fact, what Wittgenstein described in 1939 are the new top traders in the stock exchange scene. They are not American, permanent residents or foreign talent. Actually, they are not even human beings. But just because they are algorithms, it does not make them any less real or less worthy of your attention. They are Black boxes and drive more than 70% of the World (Wall Street) trading today. Each algorithm produces a distinct visualisation illustrating their behaviour, and the human traders give them these names: Our experience of a pleasant day is very different to that of a forecasting algorithm performing millions of calculations in order to reach a decision. How can we see past this complexity and experience these calculating machines in a visceral way. The project explores methods at varying scales to test how I could manifest the ephemeral so we could engage with it on a personal and cultural level.This is the sound of an oil landscape on 10th October 2011 just before the stock markets closed. I turned the fluctuations into a 5 minutes photopolymer barcode, which was then read by an algorithm and converted into frequency of sound so we could hear it.This is what this energy wilderness looks like. The photographs were taken on a unit trip to Barrow, Alaska 2011.These are the physical manifestations of the Black box algorithms. They respond to specific harmonic Frequencies in order to address market conditions of Collapse, Rise and Fall and Stability.This is a long exposure photograph that reveals the condition of a pleasant day in the market. It relates to gentle or rising market. The structures are in motion but they remain stable. During a day like this we are thrown slightly off balance - a reminder to stay vigilante. This condition has occurred because the market is overall stable. There are instances of rises and falls but they remain within set tight boundaries. A processing code was used to analyse the market signal. This sent frequencies to the motors which were outside the natural frequency of the structures, preventing resonance from occurring therefore preventing large oscillations and promoting stability. This is a long exposure photograph that reveals the condition of a volatile day in the market. The structures are in motion. There is more tension. Some structures occasionally lose their balance but manage to bring themselves back to the state of stability. This market condition affects the steel joints of the Spastic Bat and the Carnival. They begin to fail as the vibrations energy loosens them, encouraging collapse. During a day like this we experience a tickle in our internal organs - in particular the stomach and lungs. This condition has occurred because the market is volatile - in constant state of Rise and fall. A processing code was used to analyse the market signal. This sent frequencies to the motors which were within a close range to the natural frequency of structures such as the Carnival, encouraging resonance to occur therefore create possible states of imbalance. This is a long exposure photograph that reveals the condition of highly volatile market of high peaks and sharp lows. Here we see the structures in a bidding war. During a day like this we see an architecture that collapses around us. We are thrown off balance and experience full body vibration. Our supporting structure / balance is affected: Spinal cord at 10 to 12 Hz - We can no longer stay straight. Limbs - Legs at 2 - 20 Hz - Our knees buckle. Arms at 30 - 40 Hz - Our hands start shaking. At these frequencies we experience limps in our throat. Our speech is influenced; we find it difficult to talk. Our muscles are constantly tense, prolonging our urge to remain stable. This condition has occurred because the market is extremely volatile - in constant state of changing between high peaks and sharp lows. . A processing code was used to analyse the market signal. This sent frequencies to the motors in the range of 2 - 40 Hz, which were at the natural frequency of structures such as the Social Butterfly, The Sniper and Marco Polo, causing resonance to occur which creates imbalance and collapse. VIDEO