Music by Benji B and Jared Bistrong
Opening on December 5, the centerpiece of this year’s Miami Art Week programming will be a newly commissioned and monumental maze installation by artist, designer, and activist Sebastian Errazuriz (b. 1977, Santiago, Chile) located at Faena Beach. Designed using popular artificial intelligence (AI) platforms Midjourney and DALLE2, the sand-covered labyrinth titled MAZE: Journey Through the Algorithmic Self invites visitors to explore its intricate pathways, eventually converging at a reflective monolith at the center. This monolith will serve as both an art piece and a gathering spot for performances and community interaction throughout Miami Art Week. The groundbreaking installation invites visitors to reflect on the ways in which AI is increasingly shaping the world, and the subsequent urgency for “IRL” human and community interaction. Erraruiz urges viewers to consider the ways in which communal interactions will help humankind navigate the ethical complexities and potential biases that come with AI, to ensure that technology serves humanity, not the other way around.
Concurrently, Errazuriz will release a new book titled AI MAZE, accessible via QR codes within the maze. This book delves into the transformative influence of AI on various aspects of contemporary life, from education and healthcare to the economy and warfare. Each page of AI MAZE features a unique QR code, encouraging reader engagement and gathering crowd- sourced opinions on the societal implications of AI. Errazuriz's aim is twofold: to provide an escape into self-discovery through the maze and to create a communal platform for dialogues about our rapidly digitizing world.
"This is the first maze designed not to get lost, but instead to find ourselves,” says the artist Sebastian Errazuriz. “A small oasis to temporarily escape, disconnect and reconnect with what is important. A place to have conversations on society’s upcoming technological and environmental challenges. The public installation will be inaugurated in parallel with the launch of a book, AI MAZE, that helps society imagine our future interacting with artificial intelligence. The public art installation and book will be accompanied by a series of panel talks on AI, and its transformative role for the creative industries.”
In addition, Errazuriz's new marble sculpture, titled Battle of the Corporate Nations, will be showcased at Faena. This work humorously casts tech moguls Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos in an epic struggle, reminiscent of the grand mythological battles depicted by early Italian Renaissance artists like Michelangelo.