A horrific and multifaceted visual identity created in collaboration with AI systems

“An invisible networked super-organism oscillating between anxiety, lust, and horror. Described by the artists as 'a radically new creature looking at the world and nothing makes sense,’ the synthetic organism apprehends the universe through millions of hallucinogenic virally abused (CCTV) sensors. Thompson & Ubermorgen’s life-form continually evolves by using human and machine learning. It defines its own existence and distributed agency through undergoing fear, instability, aggression, and vulnerability. Uninvited can be experienced as a horror film, an online experience (web), and an installation. By disrupting the traditional contract between the work and the visitor, the life-form insists on its own autonomy. Observers become part of this ostensibly alien organism.”
– Uninvited.icu

In conjunction with the project's themes we decided to produce a shifting and unstable visual identity. Consisting of an array of horror-trope inspired logotypes, produced in collaboration with a range of automated tools. From Augmented Reality trigger finders to image enhancement softwares. The visual identity is conceptualised as a collaboration with machines, seeing our role as the producers, providing a service for the fictional Uninvited organism.

The design and development of the website extended the concepts of computational horror through unexpected interactions and a user-unfriendly approach. Incorporating flashing horrific logotypes, faux location information and a multi-perspective view of live cctv footage. All building upon the concept of how this fictional horrific machine might view our networked world.

Graphical Hoarding:
Externalising the monster within during covid lockdown

User–Unfriendly Website:
Intentionally subverting users’ expectations through playful and unexpected interaction

Bootleg Horror Social Media Campaign