Isabel Beavers – Hex Hexa: forget nothing, have no dreams

Hex Hexa draws on Greek mythology, prehistoric Cypriot ritual practices, and copper mining to question faith in computational technologies. About Hex Hexa: forget nothing, have no dreams draws on Greek mythology, prehistoric Cypriot ritual practices, and the legacy of copper mining to question our implicit faith in evolving computational technologies. At a moment when we are at once drawn to AI and unnerved by its reach, Hex Hexa examines the social, ecological, and spiritual implications of mega-computing to raise existential questions about who and what we believe in. The exhibition's subtitle comes from the final line of Adrienne Rich's 1961 poem "Artificial Intelligence," which anticipated computational memory decades before AI entered daily life. "[F]orget nothing, have no dreams" points to the exhibition's central tension: What does it mean to put your faith in a machine that remembers everything and imagines nothing? Tracing a line from prehistoric gaming stones to today's AI agents, Hex Hexa transforms the gallery into a bathhouse for Aphrodite, who was once the Cypriot goddess Kypris, worshipped for the protection of animals and copper—the same metal that runs through our devices. She lingers as a ghost with only her memory to offer. Hex Hexa features new work that was developed during Beavers's two years as the Hixon-Riggs Early Career Fellow in Science, Technology, and Society at Harvey Mudd College. The exhibition features a digital film created using site-based volumetric capture, game-engine simulation, and 3D animation; a steel hexagonal fountain with responsive water features created using custom coding and electronics; a series of 3D-printed light and water sculptures; and a series of prints on stainless steel. Read more Toggle Digital Installation Film / Video Prints Sculpture