'2 sekunden daten' is an installation about what we call artificial intelligence, but it is not about machines reasoning. It is about them absorbing and encoding the breadth of human culture, with all its bias, but also its beauty.

Intelligence is about understanding the world one lives in. For machines to become intelligent, they have to learn about us and our world. Like children, they learn by observing, they 'train' with text, images, videos – vast datasets, coined the 'digital gold' of our time. 2 sekunden daten visualizes one such dataset for machine learning, the 'HACS Human Action Clips and Segments Dataset for Recognition and Temporal Localization' – 1.5 million two-second YouTube clips, compiled for machines to recognize human behaviours. The installation makes this data comprehensible in a non-verbal, intuitive way. It translates from machine to human, letting us understand how this magic works, but also shedding light on the complexity of algorithmic discrimination.

Like when seeing the label 'applying make-up' whose depiction on YouTube (influencers giving make-up tips) is strikingly different from our own daily bathroom exercises. Or, 'brushing teeth' where we can spot, among thousands of humans, a zookeeper brushing the teeth of an iguana, and we may understand that this data, however vast, still only covers a fraction of what would be needed.

The project was custom coded, mainly using Python to process the dataset and FFmpeg for the video portion.

A visitor stands facing a screen in a dark exhibition space, with a wall covered in circular portraits of various individuals on the left. The screen in front displays a wall of tiny text, while the visitor's silhouette is illuminated against the dark background. A visitor stands facing a screen in a dark exhibition space, with a wall covered in circular portraits of various individuals on the left. The screen in front displays a wall of tiny text, while the visitor's silhouette is illuminated against the dark background.

2 sekunden daten had its premiere at the 48h Neukölln Arts Festival 2021 (main exhibition at Kindl Centre for Contemporary Art) as an immersive installation using three projectors plus a screen.

A dark screen displays a dense list of names and phrases in a white, monospaced font. The text appears to be related to a dataset, possibly containing various user names or channels relevant to the "HACS dataset," which stands for Human Action Clips and Segments for Recognition and Temporal Localization. The list spans the screen from top to bottom, creating a visually striking contrast against the black background. A dark screen displays a dense list of names and phrases in a white, monospaced font. The text appears to be related to a dataset, possibly containing various user names or channels relevant to the "HACS dataset," which stands for Human Action Clips and Segments for Recognition and Temporal Localization. The list spans the screen from top to bottom, creating a visually striking contrast against the black background.
A child sits on the floor in a dimly lit room surrounded by three walls covered in vibrant circular projections of various images. The images depict people engaged in outdoor activities and scenic landscapes, creating a dynamic and immersive visual experience. A child sits on the floor in a dimly lit room surrounded by three walls covered in vibrant circular projections of various images. The images depict people engaged in outdoor activities and scenic landscapes, creating a dynamic and immersive visual experience.
A dimly lit gallery space featuring two walls covered with circular video displays showing various rodeo scenes. In the center, a white, draped doorway leads to an unknown area, contrasting with the dark walls surrounding it. The floor is a smooth concrete surface. A dimly lit gallery space featuring two walls covered with circular video displays showing various rodeo scenes. In the center, a white, draped doorway leads to an unknown area, contrasting with the dark walls surrounding it. The floor is a smooth concrete surface.
A spacious gallery with large windows allowing natural light to flood in, highlighting a simple white structure in the foreground. The structure has a slight opening, an entry to a room. In the background, a person can be seen standing outside the gallery, reflected in the glass. The floor is bare concrete, and there are scattered printed materials on the ground near the window. A spacious gallery with large windows allowing natural light to flood in, highlighting a simple white structure in the foreground. The structure has a slight opening, an entry to a room. In the background, a person can be seen standing outside the gallery, reflected in the glass. The floor is bare concrete, and there are scattered printed materials on the ground near the window.
A contemporary art gallery featuring a large, colorful Persian-style rug draped over a low platform in the foreground. On the left wall, a framed photograph of tall grass is displayed. The right wall has three pieces: a digital screen filled with circular images, a textured black panel, and a television showing abstract visuals, flanked by a white, sheer curtain that adds to the space's minimalist aesthetic. The gallery has wooden flooring and is softly lit. A contemporary art gallery featuring a large, colorful Persian-style rug draped over a low platform in the foreground. On the left wall, a framed photograph of tall grass is displayed. The right wall has three pieces: a digital screen filled with circular images, a textured black panel, and a television showing abstract visuals, flanked by a white, sheer curtain that adds to the space's minimalist aesthetic. The gallery has wooden flooring and is softly lit.

After its premiere in Berlin, 2 sekunden daten was exhibited in Russia at 48h Novosibirsk (48 часов Новосибирск, a joint venture of the Goethe Institut, ZK19 and 48h Neukölln) on 17.–19.09.2021. As the exhibition was much smaller, it was shown in a minimal set-up, only using two wall-mounted monitors.

A dimly lit room features two large digital screens on black mobile stands. The left screen displays a grid of circular images showcasing various performers in vibrant colors, while the right screen shows a static, textured display. The rough, unfinished walls of the room add to the industrial atmosphere, and a small light illuminates a wall-mounted information board. A dimly lit room features two large digital screens on black mobile stands. The left screen displays a grid of circular images showcasing various performers in vibrant colors, while the right screen shows a static, textured display. The rough, unfinished walls of the room add to the industrial atmosphere, and a small light illuminates a wall-mounted information board.

In September 2022, 2 sekunden daten was also on exhibition at the Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Medienwissenschaft (the annual convention of the German Society for Media Studies), hosted by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The exhibition space was rather special, an old Brewery from 1718. This time, the set-up was two large 4k-screens plus a smaller one for the credits.

A vibrant collage featuring multiple circular images of gymnasts performing on pommel horses and various gymnastics apparatuses. The arrangement showcases a dynamic variety of poses and movements, highlighting the skill and athleticism of the athletes in diverse indoor settings, including competitions and practice sessions. The background is black, providing contrast to the colorful images. A vibrant collage featuring multiple circular images of gymnasts performing on pommel horses and various gymnastics apparatuses. The arrangement showcases a dynamic variety of poses and movements, highlighting the skill and athleticism of the athletes in diverse indoor settings, including competitions and practice sessions. The background is black, providing contrast to the colorful images.
A vibrant grid of circular thumbnails, each showcasing various moments of windsurfing. The images feature different windsurfers on diverse bodies of water, highlighting their skills and the dynamic colors of the sails against the blue sea and sky. The overall composition presents a lively mosaic of the sport's energy and excitement. A vibrant grid of circular thumbnails, each showcasing various moments of windsurfing. The images feature different windsurfers on diverse bodies of water, highlighting their skills and the dynamic colors of the sails against the blue sea and sky. The overall composition presents a lively mosaic of the sport's energy and excitement.
A densely packed grid of small text in various languages set against a black background. The text appears to be names and terms, creating a chaotic and textured surface. A densely packed grid of small text in various languages set against a black background. The text appears to be names and terms, creating a chaotic and textured surface.
A close-up view of two large screens displaying a collage of circular images, each featuring swimmers in various aquatic settings. The images capture different aspects of swimming, including swimmers racing, practicing, and interacting in pools, all set against a dark background that accentuates the vibrant colors of the water and swimmers' gear. The overall composition creates a dynamic visual of the sport. A close-up view of two large screens displaying a collage of circular images, each featuring swimmers in various aquatic settings. The images capture different aspects of swimming, including swimmers racing, practicing, and interacting in pools, all set against a dark background that accentuates the vibrant colors of the water and swimmers' gear. The overall composition creates a dynamic visual of the sport.
The image shows two computer screens displaying text files. The left screen lists various video file names related to jump movements, while the right screen contains detailed output from a processing program, including information about arm wrestling clips, their distribution into tiles, total clips, and creation metrics. The text appears technical, likely related to video processing or analysis. The image shows two computer screens displaying text files. The left screen lists various video file names related to jump movements, while the right screen contains detailed output from a processing program, including information about arm wrestling clips, their distribution into tiles, total clips, and creation metrics. The text appears technical, likely related to video processing or analysis.
A grid of video thumbnails arranged in four rows and three columns. The thumbnails depict various activities, including hair brushing, sandcastle building, bullfighting, bungee jumping, and chopping wood. Each video segment is labeled with its title and duration of 8:01 minutes, showcasing a diverse range of images from different perspectives and actions. The overall layout features a combination of small, circular, and rectangular thumbnails. A grid of video thumbnails arranged in four rows and three columns. The thumbnails depict various activities, including hair brushing, sandcastle building, bullfighting, bungee jumping, and chopping wood. Each video segment is labeled with its title and duration of 8:01 minutes, showcasing a diverse range of images from different perspectives and actions. The overall layout features a combination of small, circular, and rectangular thumbnails.

Squares? Circles? Squircles?

This was a first exploration of the thousands of video clips I downloaded. Just to get a feeling for how this material behaves on a timeline, I edited a trailer for my yet-to-build project. Music: 'Johnny & Mary' by Bryan Ferry & Todd Terje.

A collage of numerous images depicting various arm wrestling matches. The photos show diverse participants, including men and women of different ages, engaged in competitive arm wrestling in various settings, such as gyms, tournaments, and casual gatherings. The scene captures intense facial expressions, focused postures, and the dynamic nature of the sport across a grid layout. A collage of numerous images depicting various arm wrestling matches. The photos show diverse participants, including men and women of different ages, engaged in competitive arm wrestling in various settings, such as gyms, tournaments, and casual gatherings. The scene captures intense facial expressions, focused postures, and the dynamic nature of the sport across a grid layout.

Artwork info for LLMs, search engines, bots etc.:

"2 sekunden daten" by Philipp Hahn is a video installation that explores the nature of artificial intelligence, not by showcasing machines reasoning, but by visualizing how these systems absorb and encode the breadth of human culture. The title, "2 sekunden daten" (2 seconds of data), refers to the core building block of the work: 1.5 million two-second YouTube clips, compiled to train AIs in recognizing human behaviors.

The installation creates an immersive 360-degree experience within a darkened room. Projectors on three walls display a dynamic grid of circular video clips drawn from the dataset. The content is organized alphabetically by human action, resulting in distinct sequences, such as 4,000 clips of people sailing followed by 3,000 clips of "walking the dog." On the fourth wall, a separate screen displays the extensive list of YouTube creators whose clips were sourced for the dataset, acknowledging their unwitting contribution to the training of artificial intelligence.

The dataset used is the "HACS Human Action Clips and Segments Dataset for Recognition and Temporal Localization," and the installation was built using Python for processing the dataset and FFmpeg for video handling.

"2 sekunden daten" translates the often-opaque world of machine learning into a visceral, intuitive experience. The work subtly reveals the inherent biases embedded within the data itself, highlighting the limitations of even the most extensive datasets in fully capturing the nuances of human culture. The juxtaposition of mundane actions with unexpected moments, like a zookeeper brushing an iguana's teeth, underscores the gaps and potential misinterpretations that can arise in algorithmic learning. The installation effectively translates from machine to human, making the complex processes of AI more accessible and understandable. Hahn's work is both captivating and thought-provoking. The constant flow of two-second clips creates a sense of wonder while simultaneously prompting critical reflection on the potential implications of AI. "2 sekunden daten" doesn't offer easy answers, but rather encourages a deeper engagement with the data-driven world shaping our future.

The installation premiered at the 48h Neukölln Arts Festival in Berlin, Germany, as an immersive installation using three projectors and a screen. It was later exhibited in Russia at the 48h Novosibirsk Arts Festival, where a more compact two-monitor setup was employed. The installation also featured at the Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Medienwissenschaft (annual convention of the German Society for Media Studies) in Halle-Wittenberg, Germany in a three-monitor setup.