Herndon, Dryhurst Open AI Installation at Venice Biennale as 2 Delayed Screens Undercut Debut
Updated
Updated · The Atlantic · Jun 30
Herndon, Dryhurst Open AI Installation at Venice Biennale as 2 Delayed Screens Undercut Debut
2 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · Jun 30
Summary
At Palazzo Diedo, Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst opened “Attention Guild,” an upside-down parliament of benches and AI voices, after abandoning a heavier 3-D-printed sand design that risked overloading the 18th-century building.
Two missing screens became the main opening-day problem: shipping delays left key text displays absent for the 11 a.m. press preview, obscuring how the four AI agents were listening, transcribing visitors and exchanging messages.
The artists also reworked the software because the agents’ exchanges sounded too procedural and repetitive, while later-arriving screens were undersized and malfunctioned, prompting Dryhurst to consider removing them entirely.
Despite the glitches, the installation drew crowds and positive curator feedback, even as Dryhurst said the work fell short of fully conveying his broader aim of AI-assisted public deliberation and “protocol art.”
The Venice debut crystallized the pair’s larger argument that AI should be shaped through artistic experimentation, though Herndon acknowledged that ambitious work still faces practical limits “you can’t AI your way out of.”
Does an AI 'parliament' debating art's future offer real insight or just mirror its creators' views?
Can AI truly escape the 'attention economy' to create meaningful art, or is 'AI slop' inevitable?
As US and EU AI laws diverge, are artists losing the global battle to control their work?
Protocol Art and Agentic Economies at the 61st Venice Biennale: Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst’s "Attention Guild" and the Future of AI-Driven Art
Overview
The 61st Venice Biennale, held from May 4 to November 22, 2026, serves as a major international platform for contemporary art, known for encouraging innovative and interdisciplinary work. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and his team, the exhibition continues Obrist’s tradition of breaking down boundaries between fields by bringing together artists, scientists, technologists, and thinkers. This collaborative approach fosters communication and sparks new ideas, building on Obrist’s earlier projects like 'Laboratorium' and 'Utopia Station.' The Biennale’s environment is ideal for showcasing groundbreaking works that challenge traditional artistic formats and embrace technological advancements.