Untitled





The first act took place on 23 March 2022 at ITO space in Stuttgart.

Installation and performance

Medium: Machine learning algorithms, AI-generated images, knitting instructions for domestic hand-knitting machines,
knitting yarn, historical texts, pictures, musical compositions, and sound choreography.
 Credits: Artist: Echo Ho

Orchid Algorithms: Hannes Hoelzl

AI Consultant: George Bagdasarov


             „Untitled“ is a long-term multidisciplinary endeavour, a research-based installation and performance inspired by the ancient Qin melody „Secluded Orchid in Jieshi Mode,“ one of the earliest known musical notations. This project is motivated by the beauty and resilience of the Cymbidium orchid, referred to as Lan in Chinese. „Untitled“  delves into Lan‘s historical significance; celebrated across centuries in art, poetry, and music, Lan serves as an emblem of the highest moral virtues and the practice of self-cultivation, guiding us toward becoming better human beings. In an era challenged by artificial intelligence, including opaque and biased machine-learning processes and substantial energy consumption, Ho‘s project reflects these concerns through the lens of the Cymbidium orchid, now endangered by climate change and habitat destruction.
„Untitled“ employs a fusion of machine learning, AI visuals, and traditional mediums to explore the capability of art to demystify the artificial divide between nature and culture. The project incorporates knitting images on a domestic hand-knitting machine, musical compositions, and choreographed sound performances, employing a broad spectrum of experimental approaches. Through these methods, Echo Ho addresses and tests the capacity of art as an epistemic tool to challenge and redefine the myth of the nature-culture dichotomy.
Through this exploration, Ho aims to unravel the centuries-long sympoietic relationship with the Cymbidium orchid, a vital aspect of the Chinese technique of self-cultivation. The orchid represents knowledge and culture for its human counterparts and unfolds a collective way of living. „Untitled“ invites the audience to reflect on the current age of AI and its implications for human existence and the environment, promoting a deeper understanding of our intertwined existence with the natural world through the technique of self-cultivation.