2024 RANDOM | AZAN contemporary art, Lisbon

random: unlikely resonances

RANDOM is a collective project that began when AZAN contemporary art, an autonomous project of the artist Tomaz Hipólito, invited a group of fifty artists to, over a period of five days, occupy a building with their pieces, some of them created specifically for this context, others selected from their respective portfolios.

The project is, therefore, a temporary exhibition that is like a squatting operation across various rooms in a Lisbon building that is currently being converted, with the aim of showcasing artworks in various media and techniques, without a previously appointed theme and devoid of a curatorial project. The artists are selected through invitations they send to other artists, and the limit of participants is dictated solely by the available spaces in the aforementioned Quintinha Street building, which becomes an amalgamation of various project rooms.

To this aleatory process, in which I am a meditative spectator, I decided to add an AI-generated text on what can “random” mean within this particular generative context, as well as a list of some possibilities of that concept’s use, which is transcribed below:

“Random” is an English word. In general terms, something “random” refers to events or actions that occur without a predictable pattern, order, or apparent purpose.

Meaning and Uses of “Random”

1. Randomness: in a basic sense, “random” describes any event or selection that is unpredictable or happens by chance. For example, when rolling a dice, the number that appears on the top face is considered random, as there is no way to predict with certainty which number will be displayed before rolling it.
2. Mathematics and Statistics: in mathematics, “random” is a fundamental concept in probability theory and statistics. A random event is one whose outcome is uncertain, but can be described in terms of probability. For example, the probability of coming up “heads” on flipping a coin is 50%, but the specific outcome of each toss is random.
3. Computer Science: in programming, randomness is often simulated using Random Number Generators. These algorithms generate sequences of numbers that appear random, although they are often pseudo-random, i.e. they are generated by a deterministic process that is complex enough to appear unpredictable.
4. Everyday Life and Pop Culture: in everyday and cultural usage, “random” can refer to something unexpected, strange, or that seems out of context. For example, if someone makes a joke unrelated to the ongoing conversation, someone might say, “That was so random!” to describe the comment as unpredictable or surprising.
5. Philosophy and Nature: in philosophy and the natural sciences, the concept of “random” can refer to the fundamental nature of certain events or processes. For example, in quantum mechanics, the behaviour of subatomic particles is described as random, because it is not possible to predict the exact outcome of certain experiments—only the probability of possible outcomes.

Practical Examples of “Random”

Lottery Draw: numbers drawn in a lottery are considered “random” as they are selected without a known pattern.

• Genetic Mutation: mutations in an organism’s DNA usually occur randomly, introducing variations in the population that can influence evolution.
• Randomized Controlled Trials: in medicine, “randomized” clinical trials are designed to randomly assign participants to control or treatment groups, minimizing biases and allowing for fair comparisons.

The Importance of “Random”

Randomness is essential in many fields because it introduces variability and uncertainty, which allows natural processes to be modelled more accurately, hypotheses to be tested rigorously and fairly, and complex systems to be studied. Through the use of random methods, it is possible to gain insights into phenomena that are too complex to be understood in any other way.

The RANDOM exhibition is a project that is by definition random, but also transformative thanks to the empathy and closeness of a human community, a spontaneous network that puts artists in contact with one another and with the public at large. A place for experimentation, for the interaction and resonance of current artistic practices, an unexpected moment and place that will become a memory of an unlikely collective, a generator of future projects that may divulge other communities.

João Silvério

Proofreader/Translator Jose Gabriel Flores