- THE STORY
inspiration
In my work, I often return to the theme of memories. This feels natural, as working with photographic archives is, in essence, working with memories. And what are memories, if not reminders of passing time?
I’m no stranger to the fear of death and the insufficiency of time. Yet, time itself is such an abstract and fascinating concept. Even without clocks, we perceive its passage through natural cycles—days, seasons, and the rhythms of nature. Female bodies, too, act as their own time-measuring devices.
Technology often attempts to mimic nature, whether intentionally or accidentally. In blockchain and economics, we observe cycles as well. Time is not just measured in seconds but in bears and bulls, in the minting of blocks.
This parallel intrigued me, leading me to explore it further—to bridge seemingly opposite realms and highlight the connections between biological and technological cycles. The misalignment and divergence in how time is measured in these contrasting domains draws inspiration from Félix González-Torres’ Perfect Lovers. With Bi(t)ological Clock, I explore how biological cycles often deviate from strict, predictable timeframes, mirroring the variance between Bitcoin block time and actual time.
Another crucial part of the project is tying this time-related tension to the struggle that females face when they oppose the solely child-bearing narrative attributed to them during the ages. Women have been scientists, astronomers, and presidents (I am particularly proud that my home country, Lithuania, has already had a female president—sadly, a contrast to many other first-world countries). It may seem that female empowerment has reached its peak, but what often remains unnoticed is the silent struggle of these remarkable women.
They balance successful careers with the desire to have families. They work to ensure their achievements are recognized for their merit, not dismissed as diversity hires. They strive to embrace their emotional sides without being labeled as hysterical.
highlighting 10 breakthroughs by women scientists
I selected 10 remarkable and accomplished women who made groundbreaking contributions to science, often overcoming significant challenges, controversies, and societal biases along the way. For each of their pivotal achievements, I identified a Bitcoin block minted at the exact time of the event. By inscribing artworks into these specific blocks, I pay tribute to their discoveries and actions, forever linking their legacy to the blockchain.
I also connected each of these blocks to a phase of the Bitcoin market cycle—accumulation, growth, bubble, or crash. This additional layer mirrors the cycles of resilience and breakthroughs in the lives of these women, drawing parallels between the volatility of technological systems and the challenges they faced. It creates a multidimensional narrative through biology, blockchain, and the dynamics of human and market cycles.
Bitcoin block number 17602 - 2009-06-20 - accumulation
Fei-Fei Li presented ImageNet at CVPR 2009, introducing a massive image database that revolutionized the field of computer vision. ImageNet consisted of millions of annotated images across thousands of categories, enabling AI models to be trained on a large scale. This project significantly advanced deep learning techniques, contributing to the success of algorithms used in applications like facial recognition and autonomous vehicles.
Bitcoin block number 14409 - 2011-09-05 - crash
Alexandra Elbakyan, a Kazakhstani neuroscience student, launched Sci-Hub, a platform providing free access to millions of academic papers. Sci-Hub sparked debates over open access to academic knowledge, challenging traditional publishing systems. Despite being sued by major academic publishers, Elbakyan’s platform continued to provide researchers with free access to research papers, reshaping discussions around intellectual property in academia.
Bitcoin block number 194281 - 2012-08-17 - accumulation
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier’s discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology marked a new era in genetic research. CRISPR-Cas9 allows precise edits to DNA, opening up possibilities for treating genetic disorders and advancing research in agriculture and synthetic biology. The discovery also raised ethical concerns around gene editing, particularly in human embryos, sparking a global debate about the future of genetic research and its implications.
Bitcoin block number 315371 - 2014-08-13 - crash
Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian mathematician, made history by becoming the first woman to win the Fields Medal for her work in the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and moduli spaces. Her achievements broke barriers for women in mathematics, inspiring future generations of female mathematicians. Mirzakhani’s work continues to influence areas of geometry, topology, and theoretical mathematics, reflecting her groundbreaking contributions to the field.
Bitcoin block number 413317 - 2016-05-25 - growth
Rana el Kaliouby, alongside Rosalind Picard, co-founded Affectiva, a company pioneering the field of Emotion AI. The technology they developed enables artificial intelligence to recognize and interpret human emotions through facial expressions and vocal patterns. Affectiva’s Emotion AI has been applied in industries ranging from marketing to healthcare and automotive technology, helping bridge the gap between human emotional intelligence and machine learning systems.
Bitcoin block number 443528 - 2016-12-15 - growth
Joy Buolamwini founded the Algorithmic Justice League after discovering that facial recognition software struggled to identify darker-skinned faces like her own. Buolamwini’s research revealed significant racial and gender biases embedded in AI systems. Her work, particularly the “Gender Shades” study, has been influential in highlighting the need for fairness and accountability in AI development, especially in mitigating algorithmic discrimination.
Bitcoin block number 519967 - 2018-04-26 - crash
Cohl Furey published groundbreaking research linking division algebra to the Standard Model of particle physics. Furey’s work uses abstract mathematical structures to explain fundamental aspects of physics, offering new insights into the nature of reality. Her findings provide a mathematical framework for understanding the universe's fundamental particles and forces, suggesting that previously unrelated fields of mathematics and physics are deeply interconnected.
Bitcoin block number 570990 - 2019-04-10 - accumulation
Katie Bouman developed an algorithm that was essential in capturing the first-ever image of a black hole. The image, taken by the Event Horizon Telescope, provided a direct view of a black hole’s event horizon for the first time in history. Bouman’s work was part of a global collaborative effort, though she faced online harassment after the image was released. Her contributions underscore the importance of interdisciplinary work in achieving scientific breakthroughs.
Bitcoin block number 619313 - 2020-02-28 - growth
Brazilian scientist Jaqueline Goes de Jesus led the sequencing of the COVID-19 genome within 12 hours, significantly aiding efforts to track the virus’s spread. Her work was vital in understanding the genetic makeup of the virus, which was crucial for the global response to the pandemic. The ability to rapidly sequence the virus’s genome has since become a critical tool in monitoring the emergence of variants and supporting vaccine development.
Bitcoin block number 659653 - 2020-12-02 - bubble
Timnit Gebru, a prominent AI ethics researcher, was forced to resign from Google after internal conflict over a paper she co-authored. The paper critiqued the environmental and ethical risks posed by large-scale language models, particularly regarding biases and their societal impact. Gebru’s departure from Google ignited widespread debates on AI ethics, transparency, and diversity within the tech industry, raising awareness about the social implications of AI development.
process
As with most of my projects, I begin by asking questions and identifying topics for exploration, followed by gathering data. The training data for this project was particularly unique, as I chose to focus on “damaged” film photographs.
I’ve always been drawn to experimenting with light and color in photography, captivated by form even in the absence of a clear subject. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a collection of blurry, overexposed, and oversaturated photos that serve as exercises in seeing and capturing the unseen.
In this project, the analog faults in the film act as a bridge to a glitch aesthetic, drawing parallels between errors in physical, digital, and algorithmic spaces. The damage represents the natural process of decay over time.
Below are a few examples of the original archive photographs used to prepare the training dataset. These images reflect my memories of fleeting moments—instances often untethered to specific events. But perhaps that is the essence of passing time: those moments between milestones, before something significant occurs, or when nothing happens at all. Time moves forward regardless, indifferent to these so-called non-events.
Training image dataset for Bi(t)ological clock.
Carefully selecting the input data for the model is a crucial part of my process, allowing me to infuse the machine learning workflow with elements of my personality and artistic style. Once the dataset is prepared, I hand over control to the machine, letting it interpret and learn from the images. My goal isn’t to achieve perfect imitation but to uncover the unexpected—those intriguing misrepresentations and errors made by the algorithm. I find these imperfections far more compelling than the “correct” outputs AI can produce.
For this project, I fine-tuned 12 distinct Stable Diffusion models, each with unique parameters and varying degrees of evolution. Some models stayed closer to my original dataset, while others deviated significantly, resulting in less detailed and less coherent outputs.
From these, I selected Model B as the starting point for the cycle. In the natural world, this phase symbolizes growth and renewal, akin to the follicular phase—spring, a time of hope. Through a deep exploration of this model, I generated 10 images, each depicting women in states of vulnerability—exposed, fragile, and profoundly human.
Next is Model C—the peak phase—an advanced iteration of Model B. It was trained for a longer period and achieved a lower loss function value, which, from the AI’s perspective, makes it a “better” model. The 10 resulting images below were generated using the same seed number but with this more refined model checkpoint.
For the next stage of the evolution, Model D—corresponding to the luteal phase—I introduced programmed layers of destruction with deterministic parameters to the outputs of Model C. This represents the onset of decay and loss, marking a shift in the cycle’s progression.
Bitcoin block = 443528
Bitcoin block = 315371
In this model we also get to see the appearing numbers from a Bitcoin block corresponding to time of the event.
Bitcoin block = 144009
Bitcoin block = 619313
Finally, with Model D, we witness the most intense level of destruction applied to the corresponding images. This marks the final—or perhaps the starting—point of the cycle, a space where endings and beginnings converge, blurring the line between closure and renewal.
Here, the corresponding Bitcoin block stamps become the most distinct.
Bitcoin block = 315371
Bitcoin block = 17602
dynamic TOKENS
The tokens in Bi(t)ological Clock are dynamic, reflecting the cyclical nature of time and biology. Each token evolves every 1008 Bitcoin blocks, roughly equivalent to 7 days, and completes a full rotation every 4032 blocks, or approximately 28 days, mirroring the length of a biological cycle. This continuous transformation imbues the tokens with a sense of life and movement, reinforcing the connection between natural rhythms and blockchain precision. However, unlike a perpetual loop, this cycle has a definitive end. At a future block, the tokens will reach their final state, symbolizing the cessation of the biological clock. This moment captures the inevitability of time’s passage, underscoring the tension between the fluidity of natural cycles and the finite boundaries of life. It’s a poignant reminder of both renewal and the inevitability of endings.
Project is launching on 22 January on Runeart.io