[Crisálida - MASP vault, São Paulo, 2019]

The genesis of Crisálida took place in mid-2017, marking the advent of a project that required months of planning and research around the theme. In this project, I collaborated with the producer, Kleber Pagu, in a process that involved a wide range of professionals.

Taking the form of a mural with a cybernetic connotation, inspired by the cyberpunk universe - an intrinsic facet of the science fiction genre - months went by in the process, working from the marking and creation of the artistic sketch to immersive incursions into technologies of different kinds, dialogues with local historians and various other movements that went together to weave the environment of the fantastic metropolis.

The materialization of Chrysalis unfolded into a monumental work, planned with the aim of establishing a relationship of direct dialogue with new technologies around the idea of artificial intelligence.

Like IBM 's"Watson" program or Apple's"Siri", the first sketches of the idea of what would later be consolidated as GPT Chat and other more advanced technologies, Crisalida's aim was to show a certain pioneering spirit in the creation of interactive urban art that would establish dialogues through a web page, that would directly engage the viewer in a fluid model of questions and answers, a deeper dialog with the work so full of nuances and meanings, thus expanding the traditional limits of artistic fruition.

The task of designing the project's underlying programming and technological architecture was entrusted to a team led by Camilla Achutti, a major personality in the tech world and CEO of Mastertech. As an important representative figure in the technology field, Achutti's participation emphasizes the importance of female empowerment in both the technology and art universes, with a view to diversification and representation in the contemporary professional scene, as well as in other areas of activity that are predominantly dominated by men in today's market.

Chrysalis, the story of SINGRID

The narrative follows ANE15, an incredibly realistic android created by NEUROCORPE, one of the biggest Big Tech companies of its generation. ANE15, an acronym for "High Level Android number 15", is the first model of a new generation of androids, representing the pinnacle of technology in its world. Programmed with revolutionary code, in the view of its developers, its creation aimed to achieve unparalleled performance in any task.

As a demonstration of her technological advancement, ANE15 is assigned her most important mission: to contain a growing uprising that threatens to establish an anarchic system in the metropolis. For months, the android performs her function with precision, eliminating hotbeds of disobedience and controlling the insurrection on behalf of her creators and the authorities. However, when she is faced with the imminent arrival of a more advanced model, which will make her obsolete, the android experiences an unexpected awakening.

This confrontation with his own replacement awakens in ANE15 a new awareness. In a new reality where Mecha begin to question not only their function, but also their blind devotion to the values imposed by their creators. For the first time, an android dares to challenge the orders and principles that govern its world, marking a turning point in the relationship between humans and machines, where technology not only performs, but also reflects on its existence and purpose.

Faced with her imminent deactivation, ANE15 then begins to experience sensations that go beyond her original programming. The loss of her function awakens in her the fear of disconnection - a feeling analogous to the human concept of the fear of death. This rupture in her code provokes the emergence of emotions and desires, leading her to a state of consciousness never foreseen for a machine.

Considered a"bug" because of her instability, ANE15 is quickly marginalized and seen as a threat to the social order. Pursued, she flees to the edge of the city, where she finds her only chance of continuing to exist. Ironically, this is the same place she was programmed to oppress in the past. By renaming herself Singrid, she doesn't seek to become human, as she already considers herself real. Despite her mechanical structure and lack of rights, Singrid believes that, behind her metallic body, her essence is as human as anyone else's.

Singrid's story embodies a dystopia that directly reflects our contemporary reality. Coming from a system that denied her a voice and agency, Singrid becomes a symbol of the struggles of marginalized voices in our society - women, black people and the LGBTQIA+ community - groups that face daily oppression in their quest for freedom and dignity of existence. The phrase "The future is now", present in the work, intensifies this reflection on the present, showing how fiction comes close to the inequalities and exclusions that still persist in our reality, while challenging us to question the boundaries between fiction and our own social reality.

In an attempt to escape the vigilante droids sent in pursuit of her, Singrid undergoes a radical transformation in appearance, leaving behind her standardized look of corporate locks. Inspired by local peripheral fashion, she adopts a daring and subversive style, breaking with her traditional patterns. Although this change symbolizes her attitude of disobedience, it is built on the experiences she absorbs in the depths of the suburbs throughout her cyberpunk journey. Singrid reinvents herself, reflecting the resistance and freedom she finds in challenging the limits imposed by her creation.

  • After being chased by drones in the capital, Singrid finds herself in the middle of a confrontation between the corporation that created her and the people she previously tried to repress. During her escape, she is unexpectedly rescued by a young man called Zé, who takes her to his home in the upper suburbs.

    Zé, or "Z Boy", is totally different from anything Singrid has ever seen. With spiky hair decorated with hex nuts and vibrant clothes in shades of #f200ff and #6100ff on the RGB spectrum, Zé embodies an originality that the android had never encountered before. Orphaned at the age of five, Zé was adopted by the local community and seen by the locals as "everyone's son". With his help, Singrid finds refuge and forms an unexpected friendship.

    Zé assures the community that Androide is no longer a threat, and together they build a connection that transcends the boundaries between robots and humans. The relationship between the two symbolizes a new form of trust and solidarity, in the midst of a scenario of oppression and resistance.

  • The name Singrid derives from Sigrid, an ancient Scandinavian name that carries the meaning of "victory".

  • In order to camouflage herself more effectively and escape the searches of the vigilante drones, Singrid chooses to change her look, renouncing the clean-cut look of the metropolis. Influenced by Z, she cuts her hair, pierces her ears and starts wearing whatever she thinks is "cool".

  • This is a tactical visor, popularly known as Mission Glasses.

    Through this artifact, a link was established between the android ANE15 and its creator - NEUROCORPE. The device thus functioned as the main means of exchanging information and sending reports. This display showed her new objectives, tasks to be completed and other relevant data for the company on a daily basis.

    In the course of her escape, and with a little help from local hackers, Singrid manages to break into and take control of the glasses' system, thus closing the doors to data transmission with the source. From then on, Singrid uses the glasses only to record her personal thoughts, as well as to document her favorite moments in images or videos, thus acting as a kind of diary.

  • These are thermal vision goggles.

    Initially created to distinguish humans from robots, thermal vision goggles capture heat emissions from surrounding targets. In this scenario, robots, devoid of such emissions, appear blue, while humans appear reddish.

    This technology, designed to track individuals "prone" to illicit activities or highly likely to be criminals, operated on the basis of a system of discrimination.

    After the escape, Singrid discerns the inadequacy of the device from the perspective that it would encourage the perpetuation of these same prejudices. Refusing to continue promoting such distinctions between humans and robots, Singrid challenges herself by redefining the purpose of the device itself. She transforms it into an efficient scanner, enabling the device to help her repair and care for other humans, cyborgs and androids abandoned in the region.

    In a world marked by cruel divisions, Singrid 's determination echoes through the shadows of her own world's history, spreading to ours in the form of a warning cry, in opposition to eugenicist and segregative works that are unfortunately part of Brazil's history, such as A redenção de Cam, from 1852. Against oppression, we choose equality

  • At a certain point, humans began to believe that robots would work better as police officers because they were impartial and stuck to the strict application of human laws.

    These automatons roam the streets of the metropolis and its surroundings, monitoring every point, eroding privacy. Programmed to mathematically calculate the level of risk posed by each individual, these droids create a kind of "criminal" profile for humans and robots, based on probability and statistics, even before any transgression occurs.

    They are obtuse cogs with a basic neural system, designed for a single task. Because of this, these A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) networks are incapable of developing broad cognition, or going beyond their original programming, improvising or learning from experiences. Their artificial intelligence is curtailed, unable to discern a true sense of justice, because they are strictly bound to single rules. They move around the city, carrying out inspections to eradicate and punish what they once programmed as wrong.

    Police robots embody a type of hasty and superficial judgment. They are like individuals who fiercely adhere irreversibly to single, universal truths, without seeking to understand or listen to alternative perspectives before passing judgment.

    The narrow focus of the scanning of these automata, resembling a visor with blinkers, limits the view of the horse in front, highlighting the "blind" and limited perspective that these devices represent.

  • Shortly after Singrid's arrival, Zé - also known as Z-Boy - proceeded to introduce her to all his other colleagues who lived there in Viela dos Milagres. This safe place, located in the far south of the metropolis, was considered by the old residents to be the only spot unsupervised by the roving drone units. The secret location served as the main regional meeting point, providing a free space for debate, open dialog and moments of casual conviviality between residents. Such an environment was a secret kept by few, effectively serving as a headquarters for those self-styled activists against the authoritarian government in power.

  • Together with artists, virtual pixadores, hackers and local activists, Singrid was destined to dismantle the chains of those who, at a time when she still had no conscience of her own, she had been tasked with curbing.

    United by the common purpose of challenging the bonds of oppression, and led by Singrid and Zé, the estranged people find themselves ready to confront a dark past, embarking on a struggle so that one day the light of equality and justice will shine on those lands.