StreetSwipe.net

Which aesthetics do we associate with gentrification? StreetSwipe lets the audience determine if they think a photo of a storefront or bar should be classified as ‘gentrified’. While swiping different cities, streets, years and neighborhoods will be compared on a scoreboard. The subjective input of different groups of users will be used to train several computer models that can recognize and generate images that are perceived as gentrified and non-gentrified. The aim of StreetSwipe is twofold: the generation of new knowledge that is aimed at researching a perceived state of gentrification through its aesthetics (colors, patterns, objects) and, in doing so, to increase a critical understanding of how seemingly objective computational systems are developed, function, implemented and increasingly shape our lives. This work is presented in collaboration with FIBER; an Amsterdam based platform and festival operating at the intersection of audiovisual art, technologie, ecology and performances. FIBER supports and presents emerging artistic makers and thinkers whose work offers innovative and critical perspectives on our rapidly changing world.