»Neuro Baby« 
Light Box
Light Box
© URL: http://www.naokotosa.com/1993/01/412/ (05.08.2013).
Keywords
Information
Technology
Sound
FM TOWNS for voice analysis and voice generation; Silicon Graphics IRIS 4D for image synthesis
Descriptions & Essays
“Neuro Baby, one of her [Naoko Tosa's] best-known installations, uses sophisticated neural-network programming to create a computer graphic entity that responds to the emotional tones of voices. The baby responds appropriately with crying or cooing depending on the way the viewer addresses it” (Stephen Wilson, Information Arts. Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology, Cambridge/Mass.: MIT Press 2002, p. 795).
“It doesn't matter what words you use, but rather your tone of voice. So, coochie, coochie, coo, if delivered like a drill sergeant, will make Neuro-Baby scream. Usually, communication with computers is logical, says Tosa. I'm trying to make it more emotional” (Tim Larimer, URL: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054399,00.html, 05.08.2013).
“I created a new creature or a piece of work that can live and meaningfully communicate with modern, urban people like ourselves, people who are overwhelmed, if not tortured, by the relentless flow of information, and whose peace of mind can only be found in momentary human pleasures” (Naoko Tosa, URL: http://www.tosa.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp/nb/nb_paper.html, 04.08.2013).
Literature
Wilson, Stephen. Information Arts: Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2003.
Exhibitions & Events