Yalin Wang

Stellar Pathfinding, 2025.

Project Website: https://wangyalin.com/stellar-pathfinding

Contemporary society is increasingly governed by opaque data streams and predictive algorithms, creating a profound disconnect between digital black boxes and human corporeal experience. This project presents Stellar Pathfinding, a screen-based interactive installation that critiques modern algorithmic forecasting by juxtaposing it with ancient Chinese divination practices. By reimagining the ancient Daoist ritual of Bugang Tadou (Pacing the Constellations) as a corporeal interface, the installation functions as a "cosmotechnical interferometer," transforming the physical body into a somatic conduit against algorithmic dominance.

A custom Python backend scrapes live global geopolitical crises, translating earthly volatility into abstract celestial coordinates. Unlike conventional interactive works that reward passive gestures, this system demands "disciplined play." Participants perform ritualistic geometric walks, tracked in real-time via a customized OpenCV and YOLO pipeline, requiring rigorous physical negotiation to "tame" the chaotic data influx. Upon achieving precise human-machine synchronization, a bespoke generative AI engine (ComfyUI and a custom Flux LoRA) dynamically resolves the turbulent digital fluid—visualized via TouchDesigner—into a serene "Speculative Archive" of historical star maps.

This installation explores the theoretical intersections of algorithmic divination, digital spirituality, and somatic interaction, offering an alternative paradigm for embodied engagement in contemporary media art. Ultimately, Stellar Pathfinding operates as a cybernetic meditative space, questioning how we might reclaim human agency when the navigational markers of our lives are forged from chaotic global data.