https://gaston.pro Gaston Welisch Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:48:46 +0000 https://gaston.pro en https://gaston.pro/Menu Thu, 30 Apr 2020 16:06:34 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/Menu /* -------------------------------- MAJOR SECTION SPACING Applied to the section itself so Cargo cannot collapse an empty spacer element. -------------------------------- */ .portfolio-section { margin: 0 !important; } .portfolio-section:not(#two) { padding-top: 3.75rem !important; } /* Existing spacer divs are no longer used. */ .section-gap, .content-gap { display: none !important; } /* -------------------------------- SECTION TITLE → FIRST IMAGE Padding is attached directly to the title, so the gap survives responsive layout. -------------------------------- */ .portfolio-title { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 0 1.5rem 0 !important; } /* -------------------------------- DESKTOP ROW SPACING -------------------------------- */ .portfolio-row { margin-top: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; } .portfolio-row + .portfolio-row { margin-top: 0rem !important; } /* -------------------------------- PROJECT CARD -------------------------------- */ .project-card { display: block; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; } .project-media { display: block; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; line-height: 0 !important; } .project-media.bweffect { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; } .project-media .image-link { display: block; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; line-height: 0 !important; } .project-media media-item, .project-media img { display: block; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; } /* -------------------------------- PUBLICATIONS FULL-WIDTH GALLERY Preserve Cargo's gallery behaviour, but prevent it introducing vertical space. -------------------------------- */ .project-media .image-gallery { display: block; width: 100% !important; max-width: none !important; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; line-height: 0 !important; } .project-media .image-gallery > * { width: 100% !important; max-width: none !important; margin-top: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; padding-top: 0 !important; padding-bottom: 0 !important; } .project-media .image-gallery media-item, .project-media .image-gallery img { display: block; width: 100% !important; max-width: none !important; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; } /* -------------------------------- IMAGE → CAPTION -------------------------------- */ .project-caption { display: block; margin: 12px 0 0 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.25; } /* -------------------------------- MOBILE Desktop row divisions disappear completely. Each caption provides the gap before the following project. -------------------------------- */ @media (max-width: 768px) { .portfolio-row + .portfolio-row { margin-top: 0 !important; } .portfolio-row > [grid-col] { margin-top: 0 !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; } .project-caption { margin-top: 8px !important; padding-bottom: 1rem !important; } /* Final project in each major section does not need an internal project gap. */ .portfolio-section > .portfolio-row:last-child > [grid-col]:last-child .project-caption { padding-bottom: 0 !important; } } document.title = "Gaston Welisch — artist, designer & researcher working critically with AI"; Hi! I'm an artist, designer and researcher who makes emerging technologies tangible for reflection. Currently, I’m using the conceptual frameworks of magic and divination to build oracular interfaces: objects to question how we interpret and interact with AI systems. ︎ Artificial Intelligence <img width="1333" height="1333" width_o="1333" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b8a8f0d1737490c446850a9b34a417726201a81bc06392a13311be51d969c3af/square.jpg" data-mid="81521923" border="0" alt="The Data Poets: hand holding a grey, 3D-printed device with a neon yellow circular camera panel outdoors." data-caption="The Data Poets: hand holding a grey, 3D-printed device with a neon yellow circular camera panel outdoors." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b8a8f0d1737490c446850a9b34a417726201a81bc06392a13311be51d969c3af/square.jpg" /> The Data Poets (2019–2024) <img width="2451" height="2451" width_o="2451" height_o="2451" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d88ea4e3c027ea1c826d16902237ad9feb597013ac0bfb4edee026522ac69aeb/experiential-copy.png" data-mid="241424785" border="0" alt="Line drawing of two simple figures holding a glowing green circle with a question mark." data-caption="Line drawing of two simple figures holding a glowing green circle with a question mark." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d88ea4e3c027ea1c826d16902237ad9feb597013ac0bfb4edee026522ac69aeb/experiential-copy.png" /> PhD : AI, Magic and Divination (2024–) <img width="1281" height="1281" width_o="1281" height_o="1281" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d3119be4a9dd37c248e64904d21f10c7c9147043bd165e29989f15b8be357505/BIRD-station-1.jpg" data-mid="252686487" border="0" alt="BIRD station: a CRT monitor showing a toucan on a plywood board, with a hand interacting with a knob." data-caption="BIRD station: a CRT monitor showing a toucan on a plywood board, with a hand interacting with a knob." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d3119be4a9dd37c248e64904d21f10c7c9147043bd165e29989f15b8be357505/BIRD-station-1.jpg" /> BIRD (2024–) <img width="1320" height="1319" width_o="1320" height_o="1319" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e25989d60149641460c43f2dc4e08d1ee4f8d4894a68cc974cfdc9c9bc75c7e/IMG_5775-2-2.jpeg" data-mid="252686557" border="0" alt="Installation of BOTTER: people surrounding a computer installation." data-caption="Installation of BOTTER: people surrounding a computer installation." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9e25989d60149641460c43f2dc4e08d1ee4f8d4894a68cc974cfdc9c9bc75c7e/IMG_5775-2-2.jpeg" /> Botter (2023, 2025) <img width="800" height="800" width_o="800" height_o="800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/62d64b41e7c0fb45cbc17ec574f9ce5b8120068abf9ff3843b35d137df3adbd9/icon-logo-copy.png" data-mid="252686859" border="0" alt="Logo for House of IFs." data-caption="Logo for House of IFs." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/62d64b41e7c0fb45cbc17ec574f9ce5b8120068abf9ff3843b35d137df3adbd9/icon-logo-copy.png" /> House of IFs (2026) <img width="800" height="800" width_o="800" height_o="800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ef1f9747eb03839467c7018beeced94c154512f2bebd07ef7ea351b6166ac52e/spellmarket-logo.png" data-mid="252688208" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/ef1f9747eb03839467c7018beeced94c154512f2bebd07ef7ea351b6166ac52e/spellmarket-logo.png" /> SPELLMARKET (2026–WIP) <img width="500" height="498" width_o="500" height_o="498" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a8913df69512de314bdb623a2a59651b1f99c192d7fadaf3ccc247494d0dafdb/FYSz5Eh.png" data-mid="241424822" border="0" alt="Blue halftone graphic of an engraved-style circular moon face." data-caption="Blue halftone graphic of an engraved-style circular moon face." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/500/i/a8913df69512de314bdb623a2a59651b1f99c192d7fadaf3ccc247494d0dafdb/FYSz5Eh.png" /> omen.OS (2023) Writing <img width="2666" height="1500" width_o="2666" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/560eebc96e6db7421bcc824f6d08dbedb449576de5109efcda11f4b10edaee4f/writing.jpg" data-mid="81804143" border="0" alt="Pixel art graphic of an old CRT computer monitor displaying PRESS START." data-caption="Pixel art graphic of an old CRT computer monitor displaying PRESS START." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/560eebc96e6db7421bcc824f6d08dbedb449576de5109efcda11f4b10edaee4f/writing.jpg" /> Publications Play <img width="834" height="834" width_o="834" height_o="834" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a76c4be84655e8e8d5a7ef0819e9d3d0cc6225f665adb5ca993dd0ae6706c9af/prototypesquare1.jpg" data-mid="81679286" border="0" alt="Cosmonomique: hand interacting with small colourful robot figures on a dark circular tabletop game mat." data-caption="Cosmonomique: hand interacting with small colourful robot figures on a dark circular tabletop game mat." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/834/i/a76c4be84655e8e8d5a7ef0819e9d3d0cc6225f665adb5ca993dd0ae6706c9af/prototypesquare1.jpg" /> Cosmonomique <img width="1500" height="1500" width_o="1500" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cae7e7aa9d3d0494ab79f5afc650580de1fe84932c4ff060939e4357d6780654/printer.jpg" data-mid="81622461" border="0" alt="Stroll: hand pulling a printed receipt from a custom red and blue thermal printer device." data-caption="Stroll: hand pulling a printed receipt from a custom red and blue thermal printer device." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cae7e7aa9d3d0494ab79f5afc650580de1fe84932c4ff060939e4357d6780654/printer.jpg" /> Stroll Earlier work <img width="1002" height="1002" width_o="1002" height_o="1002" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ca821c800e156c8bab4905bfce1672c1d0ac51ba1528e333478173c858a71c7a/squareimage1.jpg" data-mid="81521818" border="0" alt="Bright photograph of a grassy field with cars parked in front of brutalist apartment buildings." data-caption="Bright photograph of a grassy field with cars parked in front of brutalist apartment buildings." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ca821c800e156c8bab4905bfce1672c1d0ac51ba1528e333478173c858a71c7a/squareimage1.jpg" /> Ateliers des communs <img width="2755" height="2755" width_o="2755" height_o="2755" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4f9602d50843316f22ce833ae6c2a647bed4dee3341182521f9faf8da078795e/maquette2.jpg" data-mid="81524174" border="0" alt="Small-scale model: setup against a grey board with a black central speaker and two stand-mounted objects." data-caption="Small-scale model: setup against a grey board with a black central speaker and two stand-mounted objects." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4f9602d50843316f22ce833ae6c2a647bed4dee3341182521f9faf8da078795e/maquette2.jpg" /> L'eau froide <img width="3888" height="3888" width_o="3888" height_o="3888" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0f9be7f6dbb6fab07eb6843c5621f2a0965cdcf3d86afbeaaa9492dd20ec6add/2.jpg" data-mid="81524532" border="0" alt="Open printed booklet showing abstracted, blurry blue and dark blue ink generative patterns." data-caption="Open printed booklet showing abstracted, blurry blue and dark blue ink generative patterns." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0f9be7f6dbb6fab07eb6843c5621f2a0965cdcf3d86afbeaaa9492dd20ec6add/2.jpg" /> Generative publication <img width="4016" height="4016" width_o="4016" height_o="4016" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5488308bcc48df1ba7c7e058627a5894ac45b5040e0b5badcff0079d14f69c92/detail1.jpg" data-mid="193399172" border="0" alt="Blue gradient display object mounted on a matching backdrop and held by metal prongs." data-caption="Blue gradient display object mounted on a matching backdrop and held by metal prongs." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5488308bcc48df1ba7c7e058627a5894ac45b5040e0b5badcff0079d14f69c92/detail1.jpg" /> Tool display stand <img width="1024" height="1024" width_o="1024" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/edba2d731d4d7db4fc6fdf44f438e51d7b3447d2bce9a8196f8d24358961e157/7utiles2.jpg" data-mid="69267367" border="0" alt="Hand interacting with a white wall-mounted modular organiser system." data-caption="Hand interacting with a white wall-mounted modular organiser system." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/edba2d731d4d7db4fc6fdf44f438e51d7b3447d2bce9a8196f8d24358961e157/7utiles2.jpg" /> 7 Utiles <img width="800" height="799" width_o="800" height_o="799" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5d9024b311ce8bdbcd6da6a5ece5d75d2211ca9fea29a34811264ec2b47c3918/bioseausquare.jpg" data-mid="81523078" border="0" alt="Translucent blue plastic rectangular compost bin with a lid." data-caption="Translucent blue plastic rectangular compost bin with a lid." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/5d9024b311ce8bdbcd6da6a5ece5d75d2211ca9fea29a34811264ec2b47c3918/bioseausquare.jpg" /> Compost bins Independent Practice <img width="1000" height="1000" width_o="1000" height_o="1000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8f7b1773db08e078548c92181e625455e3eba17b2e9143e805da35fd9f1b5740/13square.jpg" data-mid="81799323" border="0" alt="Nighttime film photograph of a figure walking down a snowy path illuminated by a streetlamp." data-caption="Nighttime film photograph of a figure walking down a snowy path illuminated by a streetlamp." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8f7b1773db08e078548c92181e625455e3eba17b2e9143e805da35fd9f1b5740/13square.jpg" /> Photography <img width="1000" height="1000" width_o="1000" height_o="1000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a8504e1d5739139d6ef2c0e732e43cbc93aa79ef5edf0b349cfb62c7cb1d4052/spacecraftsquare.jpg" data-mid="81799319" border="0" alt="Comic-style illustration of an astronaut sitting inside a detailed spaceship cabin." data-caption="Comic-style illustration of an astronaut sitting inside a detailed spaceship cabin." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a8504e1d5739139d6ef2c0e732e43cbc93aa79ef5edf0b349cfb62c7cb1d4052/spacecraftsquare.jpg" /> Illustrations <img width="2001" height="2001" width_o="2001" height_o="2001" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dcad9a3591fcd40a643ab112102212839e0638e429003948f1ccc7334103f16c/carwashpoems-17square.jpg" data-mid="167732995" border="0" alt="Photograph of an open printed photography booklet." data-caption="Photograph of an open printed photography booklet." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dcad9a3591fcd40a643ab112102212839e0638e429003948f1ccc7334103f16c/carwashpoems-17square.jpg" /> Car Wash Poems <img width="1920" height="1920" width_o="1920" height_o="1920" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f6dd28042f791e0eb7fd16deb1e511608443e1220bd09b77cab2249c6fb8f95e/gaston-gaston-renders-10.jpeg" data-mid="171962784" border="0" alt="3D render of a retrofuturistic sci-fi weapon." data-caption="3D render of a retrofuturistic sci-fi weapon." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f6dd28042f791e0eb7fd16deb1e511608443e1220bd09b77cab2249c6fb8f95e/gaston-gaston-renders-10.jpeg" /> Game Asset Design https://gaston.pro/PhD Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:00:36 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/PhD (function () { document.title = "PhD Research on AI, Magic & Divination — Gaston Welisch"; var meta = document.querySelector('meta[name="description"]'); if (!meta) { meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.setAttribute("name", "description"); document.head.appendChild(meta); } meta.setAttribute( "content", "Gaston Welisch’s PhD research on artificial intelligence through magic and divination; using design research and Oracular Interfaces to critically question interactions with AI." ); })(); <img width="2513" height="2513" width_o="2513" height_o="2513" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e1fcbec7efbf7ca51ed06a4c52f4193f2d9c72553bb3aef014988b8d8dd5cf0a/experiential.png" data-mid="241420855" border="0" data-scale="82" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e1fcbec7efbf7ca51ed06a4c52f4193f2d9c72553bb3aef014988b8d8dd5cf0a/experiential.png" /> PhD work&nbsp; 2024-Ongoing University of Bristol, Centre for Sociodigital Futures Oracular Interfaces: (De)mystifying AI systems through the Metaphorical Framework of Divination and Magic Using Design Research methods, I am looking at Divination and Magic as specific, culturally situated practices of Knowing and Doing in the world, using them as a metaphorical framework to critically question interactions with Artificial Intelligence (and AI as a practice of Knowing and Doing). The research is led by practice, through the development of Oracular Interfaces: provocative objects that “speak” and enable interaction with the form and shape that AI systems take. I started characterising my approach as Epistemic Mischief: a form of playful misuse of technologies of knowledge, a sincere and participatory method of generating insight. Below, you can get more information on AI experiments related to the thesis: ︎︎︎SPELLMARKET (WIP) ︎︎︎House of ifs (2026) ︎︎︎BIRD - Webcam Augury (2025) ︎︎︎Data Poets (2019-25) ︎︎︎Botter (2023-25) ︎︎︎Omen.OS (2023) <img width="9921" height="7016" width_o="9921" height_o="7016" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7e40421e7c608512b7be26398dd3120b6030e64e5b4bbef66a11730dd23e5a62/visual-for-4-terms.jpg" data-mid="241420651" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7e40421e7c608512b7be26398dd3120b6030e64e5b4bbef66a11730dd23e5a62/visual-for-4-terms.jpg" /> Fig. 1: Enquiry Space&nbsp; <img width="9921" height="7016" width_o="9921" height_o="7016" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7287a3e9b788fc0e465490f92f964da52c414f85c561f6fd0066012a73aac471/aims-of-the-metaphor.jpg" data-mid="241420541" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7287a3e9b788fc0e465490f92f964da52c414f85c561f6fd0066012a73aac471/aims-of-the-metaphor.jpg" /> Fig. 2: Aims of the metaphorical framework <img width="9921" height="7016" width_o="9921" height_o="7016" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3041c6a7e995da35373b7404d4fa25b33da00602b711d3c7d06497bceb609751/Analogy-and-metaphor--3.jpg" data-mid="241420650" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3041c6a7e995da35373b7404d4fa25b33da00602b711d3c7d06497bceb609751/Analogy-and-metaphor--3.jpg" /> Fig. 3: Literature review https://gaston.pro/Research Wed, 27 May 2020 18:42:47 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/Research document.title = "Critical AI research & writing; Gaston Welisch"; let description = document.querySelector('meta[name="description"]'); if (!description) { description = document.createElement("meta"); description.name = "description"; document.head.appendChild(description); } description.content = "publications, articles, essays, publications by Gaston Welisch on critical AI, interfaces, magic, divination and emerging technologies."; <img width="1500" height="1500" width_o="1500" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/42ab5be889df7e4387354858f03334c8ba7a3f65f5452693fb362f7dca0ce9eb/writing.png" data-mid="81803537" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/42ab5be889df7e4387354858f03334c8ba7a3f65f5452693fb362f7dca0ce9eb/writing.png" /> Writing / Publications 2026 - EssayMaking marks → drawing from traces | Participatory data as encounter and text &nbsp;is an essay reflecting on what remains of encounters online. I develop the concept of marks (intentional inscriptions), differentiated from the traces available for later interpretation. I explore how contributions can acquire new meanings when detached from their original contexts and reactivated in subsequent encounters. 2026 - Essay (de)mystifying AI systems: unknowing and ambivalence through mystical knowledge is an essay developing the concept of&nbsp;(de)mystifying as a post-critical approach to AI. It explores how experiential and partial forms of knowledge can proposing situated encounters with AI, by drawing on mystical epistemologies and apophatic thought.&nbsp; 2026 - NordiCHI - Vaasa Oracular Interfaces: Divination and Magic as material for probing interactions with AI is a short critical visualisation paper presenting House of IFs; the website and prototype were presented at Vaasa alongside a presentation of the conceptual and design basis of the project. 2026 - UNLOOP - Porto Oracular Interfaces: Epistemic Mischief as a Method for Playful Friction to Subvert AI Systems Through Divination and Magic Metaphors presents two Oracular Interfaces, BIRD and House of IFs, which use divination and magic metaphors to question the conversational authority of AI systems. The paper develops “Epistemic Mischief” as a method for introducing playful friction into interactions with generative AI, to make its apparent fluency strange and opening the values embedded in AI interfaces to critical thought. 2026 - World Futures Review AI &amp; The Oracle: Future Interfacing Technical Objects and the Reflexive Practitioner in Futures Studies&nbsp;(co-authored with Santini Basra) critically examines the integration of AI into Futures Studies. Juxtaposing divinatory practices such as the Delphi Oracle and Tarot with methods including scenario planning and wargaming, we question deterministic understandings of AI as a tool for knowing the future. Instead, we argue for the human practitioner as the “Oracle”: a reflexive mediator who interprets, questions and negotiates meaning when working with AI and possible futures. 2025 - Environment and Planning F - University of BristolData poets: Co-interpreting urban ecologies with generative AI prototypes in psychogeographic walks discusses a project that uses small AI devices (the Data Poets) and an interactive website during psychogeographic walks to prompt reflection on what we sense in urban spaces. It contrasts participants’ embodied perception alongside AI outputs, to question data-centric accounts of “urban ecology” and to explore and critique how/whether AI can act as a dialogic other in place-based research. 2025 - xCoAx - Dundee Botter, Social Media for bots is the paper from the proceedings of the 2025 xCoAx conference in Dundee, where the Botter project was exhibited.&nbsp;Botter is an interactive artwork and speculative social media platform populated by AI-generated mis-information, released in September 2023. The paper recontextualises the project and uses it as a jumping point for critiquing the prevalence of generated media today.&nbsp;2024 - Foreign Objekt Posthuman Lab Narcissus, Agency, and the Mirror as Interface&nbsp;discusses the distributed agency of AI chatbot interfaces through the conceptual framing of mirrors and divination practices such as catoptromancy. It draws from theories of interface aesthetics, the postmodern shift in computing, and the narcotic effects of AI interaction, and it interrogates how these interfaces shape perception, engagement, and autonomy. The chatbot, like a scrying mirror, reflects the user’s input, amplifying desires and biases while obscuring the underlying system’s agency.2024 - After AI Symposium - Open University AI Atemporality vs. Recursive Sacred Time: The plural Machine-Now is a conference paper where I argue that contemporary AI models inhabit an atemporal, amotivated “machine-now”; they respond reactively without genuine memory or anticipation. Set against cyclical notions of sacred time from pre-industrial magical practice and Eliade’s sacred/profane temporality, the paper proposes drawing on “rejected knowledge” and ritual to design collective practices for imagining desirable futures after AI. 2019 - Glasgow School Of Art Creating worlds :&nbsp;Exploring Participatory Behaviour in Gaming Communities is my master’s thesis. It is an exploration into the parallels between the motivations of players to participate in a game’s experience, and the civic values that get citizens to participate in the life of a city. 2017 - Aalto University Ordinary games for ordinary people is a trend forecasting document where I draw parallels between the nordic game industry, the nordic film scene, and the attention economy. ______June 2026 - Working paper Interaction Cabinet: magical and divinatory objects as material for AI Interaction is a framework for my ongoing research of magic and divinatory objects.&nbsp; By drawing on museum collections and historical practices, it examines ways of engaging might be transposed into tangible AI prototypes, to build an interaction grammar for AI systems. https://gaston.pro/The-Glasgow-Office-of-Fun-and-Games Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:26:37 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/The-Glasgow-Office-of-Fun-and-Games The Data Poets 2019/2020 - Research project supported by the Glasgow School of Art June 2021 - Project event part of the Glasgow Architecture Fringe programme 2024 - Interactive Website 2025 - Journal articleData poets: Co-interpreting urban ecologies with generative AI prototypes in psychogeographic walks&nbsp;- Journal Article describing the project, published in Environment and Planning F (2025) How could we use design to experience cities in more playful ways? The Glasgow Office of Fun and Game is a fictional official body which aims to experiment with new playful relationships between inhabitants and their urban environment. The Data Poets, its first initiative, invite you for a moment of poetic play with the city. These fun objects create poems based on their experience of a place. This project seeks to involve participants from local areas of Glasgow to gather “soft data” : information that is difficult to measure, such as opinions, feelings or perceptions. Residents have valuable local knowledge about their areas and surroundings. This project asks them to create and share stories or other creative interpretations (poems, soundscapes, videos) of where they live. Project website :&nbsp;https://datapoets.gaston.pro/ <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a9648642c1a6a504842fe2b67f5d0c29b0a39748aae62b605dc684284ed5eaba/datapoets-9.jpg" data-mid="81519251" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a9648642c1a6a504842fe2b67f5d0c29b0a39748aae62b605dc684284ed5eaba/datapoets-9.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/33fcdaea1cdd0ceb8945cb24284a1d3b2d7199f91a7acf719968aec7b4e921f0/datapoets-8.jpg" data-mid="81519689" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/33fcdaea1cdd0ceb8945cb24284a1d3b2d7199f91a7acf719968aec7b4e921f0/datapoets-8.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2d59976cdbd2f92c6c3773f32341250ebbe0091a7f999514bb73570fe025159e/datapoets-6.jpg" data-mid="81519693" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2d59976cdbd2f92c6c3773f32341250ebbe0091a7f999514bb73570fe025159e/datapoets-6.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1e124f4d70276c18f4982f1002e49de17840d4fd9c602e06af5962d692f4cc07/datapoets-5.jpg" data-mid="81519696" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1e124f4d70276c18f4982f1002e49de17840d4fd9c602e06af5962d692f4cc07/datapoets-5.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/537ccf088fb45f632dbc21224b45760bdf4146813df430ee54ef916df7bba1f0/datapoets-7.jpg" data-mid="81519691" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/537ccf088fb45f632dbc21224b45760bdf4146813df430ee54ef916df7bba1f0/datapoets-7.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/966565db2bf0ebec64ad86d7d1b70380c57bb414a9eb849aada65548c81c73a2/datapoets.jpg" data-mid="81519703" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/966565db2bf0ebec64ad86d7d1b70380c57bb414a9eb849aada65548c81c73a2/datapoets.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1333" width_o="2000" height_o="1333" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/492945d4c7af9b9cf116a88e610817083268defbf1fc068dda0ea64d3350874a/datapoets-10.jpg" data-mid="81519682" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/492945d4c7af9b9cf116a88e610817083268defbf1fc068dda0ea64d3350874a/datapoets-10.jpg" /> There are three data poets: -The aesthete likes to admire ordinary landscapes. It is filled with images.-The bard likes to listen to the music of the city. It is filled with sounds.-These experiences are then poured into the Fountain printer, which will print the experiences as poems on paper, a tangible record. The data collected helps people paint a more sensitive representation of a local area through Play. The project invites participants to re-appropriate places and give them new meaning poetically.The data poets can be used during cultural events for tourists to keep a meaningful memory of their visit.They can also be used locally for consultation, to reveal overlooked perspectives of an area. The resulting experiences can be celebrated through exhibitions or publications.The Data Poets bring a poetic approach to Citizen Science (data-collecting by ordinary people). Instead of exploring data for scientific reasons, what happens if we have fun with it? <img width="1500" height="1500" width_o="1500" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bee7ea99bd6ca46a4ad0b931e7bbaff97eb36bca508bf2d9d321a14c678fdedd/models2.jpg" data-mid="73355483" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bee7ea99bd6ca46a4ad0b931e7bbaff97eb36bca508bf2d9d321a14c678fdedd/models2.jpg" /> <img width="1500" height="1500" width_o="1500" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/018e514fef16f7aa806580e09f96738677278eb91cd418e7a755f503235ab5cc/models.jpg" data-mid="73355484" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/018e514fef16f7aa806580e09f96738677278eb91cd418e7a755f503235ab5cc/models.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="1431" width_o="2000" height_o="1431" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/683f33bf04e7ad2ba3f6f615ad2807a0593cb7020942cb9dffe65ce2c0a659e4/sketches.jpg" data-mid="73363056" border="0" 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data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/425914471c758e0a3f062426c1bad07522c1526b6450304e0b4c7bf2ee4d03ab/Continue-bw---March-18th-2020-at-10.20.05-AM.jpeg" data-mid="73375954" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/425914471c758e0a3f062426c1bad07522c1526b6450304e0b4c7bf2ee4d03ab/Continue-bw---March-18th-2020-at-10.20.05-AM.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="1024" width_o="1024" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cc325d0aeb19cb58c99f4601cb240a86377622c65a803e9a6104ac289120b07b/Continue-bw---March-18th-2020-at-10.15.08-AM.jpeg" data-mid="73375966" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cc325d0aeb19cb58c99f4601cb240a86377622c65a803e9a6104ac289120b07b/Continue-bw---March-18th-2020-at-10.15.08-AM.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="1024" width_o="1024" height_o="1024" 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data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e4d52aa5fe1f7a0ae4b47d0ba1fea1d65e9e2dc630153d57e7eca363792ee868/coloragain---March-30th-2020-at-3.55.14-PM.jpeg" data-mid="73376276" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e4d52aa5fe1f7a0ae4b47d0ba1fea1d65e9e2dc630153d57e7eca363792ee868/coloragain---March-30th-2020-at-3.55.14-PM.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="1024" width_o="1024" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1452dce47f99efd566fe2abe9b84454cb0c568fc699de7f4956b04bd9d72e5cc/Continue-Dwelling---March-11th-2020-at-10.18.56-AM.jpeg" data-mid="73376006" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1452dce47f99efd566fe2abe9b84454cb0c568fc699de7f4956b04bd9d72e5cc/Continue-Dwelling---March-11th-2020-at-10.18.56-AM.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="1024" width_o="1024" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5b1f0b567ed6ddae96c2923d70f4a1fb353bd8266bce4acd043b1a7079baa96d/Continue-Dwelling---March-11th-2020-at-10.18.03-AM.jpeg" data-mid="73376008" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5b1f0b567ed6ddae96c2923d70f4a1fb353bd8266bce4acd043b1a7079baa96d/Continue-Dwelling---March-11th-2020-at-10.18.03-AM.jpeg" /> <img width="1024" height="1024" width_o="1024" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d9b0d2c88ed5eeea2a141d32f7957b1fabe76e8f868ccc85ac7f45eb740ff9ac/Continue-Dwelling---March-11th-2020-at-10.13.14-AM.jpeg" data-mid="73376010" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d9b0d2c88ed5eeea2a141d32f7957b1fabe76e8f868ccc85ac7f45eb740ff9ac/Continue-Dwelling---March-11th-2020-at-10.13.14-AM.jpeg" /> This is how the Data Poets see the world. After seeing more than a thousand images, they start having dreams of Glasgow ... and this is what they imagine. The dataset originates from my observation and walks in Glasgow, supplemented by archive imagery.Technical details / implementation: -2019 version: Physical computing (Arduino, Processing), product design and selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing in nylon, camera and thermal printer integration, computer vision (Google Cloud Vision API), LLM text generation (GPT-2), StyleGAN2 training and image synthesis using a custom Glasgow image dataset-2024 version: multimodal AI image interpretation and poetry generation (GPT-4V/GPT-4o), full-stack web development, image database and uploads, social features (profiles, voting, commenting, notifications), map view and visualisation, interaction analytics and live statistics dashboard. https://gaston.pro/BIRD-Webcam-Augury Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:20:06 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/BIRD-Webcam-Augury <img width="2500" height="1668" width_o="2500" height_o="1668" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b2c3fc13d6d81b1c78ec4d4ffff9ae38d638e165bbdd23914d16a5e7bd08dfd8/BIRD-station.jpg" data-mid="251508728" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b2c3fc13d6d81b1c78ec4d4ffff9ae38d638e165bbdd23914d16a5e7bd08dfd8/BIRD-station.jpg" /> BIRD - Webcam Augury&nbsp; ︎︎︎BIRD - Webcam Augury (2024) BIRD (Bird Informed Remote Divination) is a collaborative, chat-based augury experience (divination through observation of birds and sky). You are connected through webcams to birds across the world and are tasked to interpret the signs with an augur chatbot. The BIRD Message Map spatialises conversations with the augur in a three-dimensional environment, where virtual birds sing participant messages. Commissioned by (2024) and in collaboration with AIXDesign. BIRD was exhibited at the Slow AI festival May 1-3 2025, in Amsterdam. At the Festival, I conducted a participatory Augury bird walk and performance. BIRD augury walks were held with Elisava school of Design, and at Watershed in Bristol in 2026. <img width="3018" height="1698" width_o="3018" height_o="1698" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0eed5e99b8ba99f4911904a3375a3dd5d182db3f35bf167939224cb9d6cff8e5/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-19.05.06.png" data-mid="251509378" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0eed5e99b8ba99f4911904a3375a3dd5d182db3f35bf167939224cb9d6cff8e5/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-19.05.06.png" /> <img width="3014" height="1740" width_o="3014" height_o="1740" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ff1be22b1ecdfb28d71c4c8d6fe74f842babf103a215c4ee463a91cf23d0a35/Screenshot-2025-07-16-at-15.47.46.png" data-mid="241421915" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5ff1be22b1ecdfb28d71c4c8d6fe74f842babf103a215c4ee463a91cf23d0a35/Screenshot-2025-07-16-at-15.47.46.png" /> <img width="7952" height="5304" width_o="7952" height_o="5304" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6b57bb56fb8a3c5e617c9045165b4cc82aa8e9d0adc28a054c832fca5cb8d8d7/_DSC6584.jpg" data-mid="251509376" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6b57bb56fb8a3c5e617c9045165b4cc82aa8e9d0adc28a054c832fca5cb8d8d7/_DSC6584.jpg" /> <img width="3178" height="2383" width_o="3178" height_o="2383" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/56f29bdc97e516d38cb6b7707ca62613e90030c9e5648f24f2e87a6432712579/IMG_4900-2-copy.jpg" data-mid="241422262" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/56f29bdc97e516d38cb6b7707ca62613e90030c9e5648f24f2e87a6432712579/IMG_4900-2-copy.jpg" /> <img width="7952" height="5304" width_o="7952" height_o="5304" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a31308f5c49bd9315f3e6e5cefdfe267451cf46d46cb243704a7c80e1683fc31/_DSC6567.jpg" data-mid="251509343" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a31308f5c49bd9315f3e6e5cefdfe267451cf46d46cb243704a7c80e1683fc31/_DSC6567.jpg" /> <img width="1365" height="2048" width_o="1365" height_o="2048" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/beaeae9af41f1aa2bd812f961ccc014f5604c0faf8897203e1d2b8502bc021bb/IMG_1428-1.jpeg" data-mid="241421501" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/beaeae9af41f1aa2bd812f961ccc014f5604c0faf8897203e1d2b8502bc021bb/IMG_1428-1.jpeg" /> <img width="2732" height="1932" width_o="2732" height_o="1932" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8101b0ac19a6d51f1e72104b7048302e8753e85c767896bd3616a675c049e180/Screenshot-2025-04-30-at-15.10.37.png" data-mid="241421817" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8101b0ac19a6d51f1e72104b7048302e8753e85c767896bd3616a675c049e180/Screenshot-2025-04-30-at-15.10.37.png" /> Credit: Above: Talk image:&nbsp;Asia Giuliani Walk images: Elisava School of Design and EngineeringBelow images: Credit - Asia Giuliani <img width="1720" height="1291" width_o="1720" height_o="1291" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e7e8a7d08de1ff54079c27993f63fc3de4beacc95dd67a2bd581b5c52c03539b/IMG_0970-copy.jpg" data-mid="241422312" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e7e8a7d08de1ff54079c27993f63fc3de4beacc95dd67a2bd581b5c52c03539b/IMG_0970-copy.jpg" /> Technical details / implementation: LLM-based conversational AI, automated safeguarding and moderation,&nbsp; SQLite database, public webcam integration, external APIs (eBird bird sightings, stock market data), physical computing (Raspberry Pi), hardware prototyping (vacuum fluorescent displays, LCD, CRT), vector embeddings and 3D semantic mapping of conversational data, sentiment analysis, sound synthesis and spatial audio. https://gaston.pro/Botter Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:53:37 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/Botter <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f5ec96168c59aa89a7f619cba7de1a9ea394370ea16dbce95966825018b412c5/IMG_5775-2.JPG" data-mid="241422714" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f5ec96168c59aa89a7f619cba7de1a9ea394370ea16dbce95966825018b412c5/IMG_5775-2.JPG" /> Botter&nbsp; ︎︎︎Botter (2023-2025) Botter is an interactive "provotype" (provocative prototype) that is presented as a social network for bots. It invites users to become accomplices in the creation of misinformation, prompting AI agents to generate "bosts" (bot posts) made of generated text and imagery. By recruiting participants to actively generate "alternative facts" the project acts as a form of Epistemic Mischief: it&nbsp;uses generative AI to critique the systems of attention and bias it relies upon. In the years since its release, the project’s satirical tone has been overtaken by the reality of "AI Slop" and the widespread of AI imagery. Exhibited as an interactive installation at the xCoAx conference in Dundee, July 9-11 2025. ︎︎︎Link to the xCoAx 2025 paper <img width="1520" height="1871" width_o="1520" height_o="1871" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3d602177ea819dc49b496fb757cac9a0552991ca1622dcaf5f7666030b98fdaf/Screenshot-2023-09-18-at-11.27.43.png" data-mid="241422534" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3d602177ea819dc49b496fb757cac9a0552991ca1622dcaf5f7666030b98fdaf/Screenshot-2023-09-18-at-11.27.43.png" /> <img width="1208" height="1438" width_o="1208" height_o="1438" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8f1c20ce8bb120d1be8b4cab64d9e1e684b97cbdc0a089b6f34e970c35a2a139/Screenshot-2025-07-06-at-17.10.11-copy.jpg" data-mid="241422733" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8f1c20ce8bb120d1be8b4cab64d9e1e684b97cbdc0a089b6f34e970c35a2a139/Screenshot-2025-07-06-at-17.10.11-copy.jpg" /> <img width="1216" height="1512" width_o="1216" height_o="1512" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/31c81075bf0c10eae5d6df131d8f766201726f458b51297810c967a4d719c6ca/Screenshot-2025-07-06-at-17.11.50-copy.jpg" data-mid="241422734" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/31c81075bf0c10eae5d6df131d8f766201726f458b51297810c967a4d719c6ca/Screenshot-2025-07-06-at-17.11.50-copy.jpg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/694f964e9dd053d764d5a2b6af594e7f8c5dcbc578677275b29fbf9767af03a4/IMG_5816-2.JPG" data-mid="241422717" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/694f964e9dd053d764d5a2b6af594e7f8c5dcbc578677275b29fbf9767af03a4/IMG_5816-2.JPG" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1a7e6051a535d1d94570383df35af3f246e1ab9ea95ba147d214c08d411bd0a9/IMG_5809-2.JPG" data-mid="241422718" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1a7e6051a535d1d94570383df35af3f246e1ab9ea95ba147d214c08d411bd0a9/IMG_5809-2.JPG" /> <img width="3024" height="1746" width_o="3024" height_o="1746" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b7f76aadb05839422aaea578651f4abf5c31c01face640226c1dc13843104f3f/Screenshot-2025-04-26-at-21.25.30.png" data-mid="241422739" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b7f76aadb05839422aaea578651f4abf5c31c01face640226c1dc13843104f3f/Screenshot-2025-04-26-at-21.25.30.png" /> Technical details / implementation: LLM text generation and generative AI imagery (diffusion model), prompt-based content generation and AI-generated replies, backend storage and image database, custom feed-ranking algorithm, social features (anonymous profiles, following, voting, commenting, reporting and notifications), real-time automated content moderation, custom image dithering and watermarking, interaction analytics and live statistics dashboard. https://gaston.pro/omen-OS Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:14:04 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/omen-OS Omen.OS&nbsp;︎︎︎Omen.OS (2023) My first experiment of a participatory website built on LLMs, omen.OS is a fortune-telling experience. It blends local events, weather, and user inputs to generate fortunes. For the tone, I aimed for a mix of the cryptic, relevant, and weird. It was designed as a playful experiment, but Omen.OS received unexpected responses of user vulnerabilities and emotional confessions. <img width="3364" height="2158" width_o="3364" height_o="2158" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3ae9b8f56f869e6cbd53169723681094ff20b0f95f3fac4d86ca3849587c56eb/Screenshot-2023-10-04-at-18.06.44-copy.png" data-mid="241423083" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3ae9b8f56f869e6cbd53169723681094ff20b0f95f3fac4d86ca3849587c56eb/Screenshot-2023-10-04-at-18.06.44-copy.png" /> Technical details / implementation: LLM integration, conversational chatbot with multi-turn interactions, Python backend development, JavaScript, external APIs (local events, trends, news and weather data), speech-to-text (STT) and text-to-speech (TTS), interactive emoji physics simulation (Matter.js), browser audio and sound design, user feedback collection and interaction analytics. https://gaston.pro/SPELLMARKET Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:48:46 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/SPELLMARKET <img width="2720" height="1542" width_o="2720" height_o="1542" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/89495185d3aed3e2cc8449ef55b3ec884c027be00cb6579e28489a7117fa0de2/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-18.03.53.png" data-mid="252687320" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/89495185d3aed3e2cc8449ef55b3ec884c027be00cb6579e28489a7117fa0de2/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-18.03.53.png" /><img width="2512" height="1390" width_o="2512" height_o="1390" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e801cb5889e3c8e8933da4b4731d0e12c9144ec765b80a38bc8214040f0cdf2a/spells2.png" data-mid="252687282" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e801cb5889e3c8e8933da4b4731d0e12c9144ec765b80a38bc8214040f0cdf2a/spells2.png" /> SPELLMARKET (2026-WIP) Ongoing research on prediction markets (like Kalshi and Polymarket) as a form of collective divination, and building a platform for counter-spells to build alternative futures. Prediction markets, like Kalshi and Polymarket are increasingly sold as collective ways of making sense of the future. They flatten events like wars, elections, disaster, and culture into numerical contracts. These prices are circulated through news and decision-making as if they were forms of knowledge. Like all divinatory systems, prediction markets do not describe the future: they are used to act upon the present. SPELLMARKET / a market of spells for doing otherwise is a participatory counter-spell platform against this logic. Reclaimed objects of authority, like supermarket till displays, dot matrix printers, and portable television sets, will be used to display the data from the site during performances and installations. <img width="1417" height="1772" width_o="1417" height_o="1772" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4231be660c51c75de779cb14d629c08cef96d1386753474811dbce6cb4ebe489/visuals_post3.jpg" data-mid="252687323" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4231be660c51c75de779cb14d629c08cef96d1386753474811dbce6cb4ebe489/visuals_post3.jpg" /> <img width="2328" height="1530" width_o="2328" height_o="1530" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/794b5eb8ce737d1f974d376e7fbdb9a4e4c9704b6c6822c13818eb2036baa14a/Screenshot-2026-09-28-at-13.03.44.png" data-mid="252687643" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/794b5eb8ce737d1f974d376e7fbdb9a4e4c9704b6c6822c13818eb2036baa14a/Screenshot-2026-09-28-at-13.03.44.png" /> <img width="1417" height="1772" width_o="1417" height_o="1772" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f8a8b2a42113957e457aca063127d77ba2a75eb7ac1b600fefe4d28253f13f05/visuals_post6.jpg" data-mid="252687341" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f8a8b2a42113957e457aca063127d77ba2a75eb7ac1b600fefe4d28253f13f05/visuals_post6.jpg" /> <img width="1417" height="1772" width_o="1417" height_o="1772" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/98b303f0e396e66e83e890f6971044549047e9bd8ff98ec498029422a72faf46/visuals_post4.jpg" data-mid="252687490" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/98b303f0e396e66e83e890f6971044549047e9bd8ff98ec498029422a72faf46/visuals_post4.jpg" /> <img width="1417" height="1772" width_o="1417" height_o="1772" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/adad398b7992be1b257565fc2b04454c2fb4df59a9f1a7e599246e3c2484c169/visuals_post.jpg" data-mid="252687324" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/adad398b7992be1b257565fc2b04454c2fb4df59a9f1a7e599246e3c2484c169/visuals_post.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="1410" width_o="1000" height_o="1410" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/976300181380d8313a9c992f7a3614123c1e42ab9031f33e527d61369336c7d7/cards-copy-2.png" data-mid="252687509" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/976300181380d8313a9c992f7a3614123c1e42ab9031f33e527d61369336c7d7/cards-copy-2.png" /> (above) initial experiments with riso simulation shader using WebGL, custom pixel font, UI tests, dot matrix printers and VFD. https://gaston.pro/House-of-IFs Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:22:07 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/House-of-IFs <img width="3020" height="1720" width_o="3020" height_o="1720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e540817d7ad1017758611d62558c03d3197e513b7fcc72b33f6a82612eae19e/Figure-3.png" data-mid="252686728" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9e540817d7ad1017758611d62558c03d3197e513b7fcc72b33f6a82612eae19e/Figure-3.png" /> House of IFs ︎︎︎House of IFs (2026) House of IFs is a daily agentic system that turns current news into omens. Each day, the system gathers unusual events (faits divers) alongside major news stories, and searches earlier reporting for comparable relationships. It then uses these correlations to construct an omen in IF/THEN form. The structure draws on Mesopotamian divination, where observed signs were linked to possible outcomes. Each omen includes an explanation, visible sources and a counter-action (namburbu). The omens accumulate into a growing interactive archive and spatial map, where visitors can browse, vote and leave their interpretations. A Scribe chatbot lets visitors ask questions about the omens, their sources and the system itself. House of IFs was shown at Watershed in Bristol in June 2026, released publicly in August 2026, and displayed at NordiCHI in Vaasa in October 2026. <img width="1668" height="2500" width_o="1668" height_o="2500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/013b8f5440653307d9b141fe12d572b2122eec0a6e49a98da82faef1c678d6a0/Figure-5.jpg" data-mid="252686732" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/013b8f5440653307d9b141fe12d572b2122eec0a6e49a98da82faef1c678d6a0/Figure-5.jpg" /> <img width="3024" height="1718" width_o="3024" height_o="1718" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8ce1253963357e3997f2c9f9cf66d08544e0f65878c03f6b6d9bc39b133728fe/Figure-1.png" data-mid="252686731" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8ce1253963357e3997f2c9f9cf66d08544e0f65878c03f6b6d9bc39b133728fe/Figure-1.png" /> <img width="9449" height="11811" width_o="9449" height_o="11811" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0252dd9355187f5138b6194f03baee05cb0652b7498240f7f837ccf1360bb49a/cursors_look.png" data-mid="252686745" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0252dd9355187f5138b6194f03baee05cb0652b7498240f7f837ccf1360bb49a/cursors_look.png" /> <img width="3022" height="1716" width_o="3022" height_o="1716" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/05fa5ff2ec9351d5e58bbaef6538c86ca358916bfe5c0becc1d3a025023cee88/Figure-2.png" data-mid="252686730" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/05fa5ff2ec9351d5e58bbaef6538c86ca358916bfe5c0becc1d3a025023cee88/Figure-2.png" /> <img width="9449" height="11811" width_o="9449" height_o="11811" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/abf3a0eec0c4fee9b6bed9e8f7ec1d7ef9e418645bf6e51b3e125fe62826e7d9/custom_font.png" data-mid="252686746" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/abf3a0eec0c4fee9b6bed9e8f7ec1d7ef9e418645bf6e51b3e125fe62826e7d9/custom_font.png" /> <img width="3024" height="1718" width_o="3024" height_o="1718" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee828a605b88c9e88dea6df6a099e4dd7b454e35c3d6d7c05b5bb9c62c2bea7d/Figure-4.png" data-mid="252686729" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee828a605b88c9e88dea6df6a099e4dd7b454e35c3d6d7c05b5bb9c62c2bea7d/Figure-4.png" /> Technical details / implementation: Multi-step LLM agent pipeline, automated daily generation, web search and API integration, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), short- and long-term memory, automated omen review and benchmarking, MySQL database, semantic embeddings and spatial archive visualisation, RAG-based chatbot with source retrieval, museum collection image retrieval, participatory voting and commenting, automated moderation, interaction analytics, custom web interface (draggable windows, image dithering algorithm), sound design, physical computing (Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W, e-ink display, accelerometer, haptic feedback and audio). https://gaston.pro/Cosmonomique Tue, 19 May 2020 11:32:02 +0000 Gaston Welisch https://gaston.pro/Cosmonomique <img width="1536" height="1024" width_o="1536" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b78978be3c2c0747f2e9a925f977a6d459ec1839d9d6f98c6d942228ba6cf30b/prototype.jpg" data-mid="71584943" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b78978be3c2c0747f2e9a925f977a6d459ec1839d9d6f98c6d942228ba6cf30b/prototype.jpg" /> Cosmonomique2017 - ENSCI Project made with&nbsp;Tristan Filhol This game was inspired by surrealist writing methods and generative art. Our concept was to make an interactive board game using a tablet. It plays the role of game master, simplifying the experience. Through it, an atmosphere is built, with sounds and animations.It records the events of the game, and a story of is created from these events for the players. In the game, you are an absurd creature, created by a mad scientist from different parts. These parts have different origins, and help you find treasures in different planets. Your goal is to fulfill your mission before the others to satisfy your scientist. <img width="1820" height="1024" width_o="1820" height_o="1024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b55da530d5064744e719f48c8d4953ab7a325a8960c1ee9a667b40246bf6a96b/prototype2-4.jpg" data-mid="71585162" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b55da530d5064744e719f48c8d4953ab7a325a8960c1ee9a667b40246bf6a96b/prototype2-4.jpg" /> <img width="1400" height="1400" width_o="1400" height_o="1400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9d4570b75d40b1c29d2c84f6d4e861d72fa26a1b4f3bee267f5e61a7a94fa36a/number-2.jpg" data-mid="71585992" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9d4570b75d40b1c29d2c84f6d4e861d72fa26a1b4f3bee267f5e61a7a94fa36a/number-2.jpg" /> <img width="1400" height="1400" width_o="1400" height_o="1400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e96696033da0d608314212e09edeb159506820c53a3333ef3d4c72f4272c4370/number-3.jpg" data-mid="71585993" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e96696033da0d608314212e09edeb159506820c53a3333ef3d4c72f4272c4370/number-3.jpg" /> <img width="1500" height="1500" width_o="1500" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c6ff8a015f13b11ac69964e1a9912c231b8adcf232d7e8cad2e7f66aaeefb875/photo-soleil1.jpg" data-mid="71585994" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c6ff8a015f13b11ac69964e1a9912c231b8adcf232d7e8cad2e7f66aaeefb875/photo-soleil1.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="995" width_o="2000" height_o="995" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/39d1c09f22f0aeabbd60985f7ab1cda7460b317203a50c6c560e1fef784710c3/animations.png" data-mid="71585470" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/39d1c09f22f0aeabbd60985f7ab1cda7460b317203a50c6c560e1fef784710c3/animations.png" />