> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: [[Weft/Organisations/MAP Academy]] > Reference:: https://garlandmag.com/loop/algorithm-textiles-interwoven/ > Date:: 2023-02-22 > Tags:: #algorithm #ArtificialIntelligence #India > WeftLinks:: [[Reinventing the Wheel]] ### Summary This workshop presented a method for curating collection objects using an algorithm developed by Microsoft for the MAP Academy. ### Highlights #### Map Academy The [MAP Academy](https://mapacademy.io/) is a non-profit online platform consisting of an [Encyclopedia](https://mapacademy.io/encyclopedia-search/), [Courses](https://mapacademy.io/academy/) and a [Blog](https://mapacademy.io/blog/) that encourages knowledge-building and engagement with the visual arts of South Asia. Maintained by a team of over 40 researchers, editors, and academic advisors from around the world, the platform is focused on increasing the visibility of art histories from the region through critically-researched, reliable, and jargon-free material made freely available. The MAP Academy is a free online platform that endeavours to transform the way South Asia’s art histories are accessed, taught and discussed — both regionally and globally. Created and maintained by over 40 researchers, editors and academic advisors from across the world, it comprises the first Encyclopedia of Art from the Indian subcontinent ever attempted — starting with over 2,000 articles and definitions and continuously growing — as well as a curriculum of online courses and a blog delving into stories and perspectives from Indian art history. These span pre-modern art, post-independence art, narrative and indigenous traditions, as well as popular culture, synthesising information on the region’s over 10,000 years of art history and presenting it in engaging ways for diverse audiences. Inviting both the serious student and the curious reader, the platform focuses on the way the region’s next generation — one of the largest demographics in the world — engages with its cultural and artistic heritage. #### Interwoven Developed by Microsoft in partnership with the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, [INTERWOVEN](https://interwoven.map-india.org/) is an artificial intelligence-powered platform that connects artworks and cultures around the world. It brings together collections from institutions across the world–including the V&A, MET, Rietberg, and the Royal Ontario Museum–to reveal connections between artworks from different cultures, mediums and time periods. INTERWOVEN represents these visually and intuitively, encouraging further exploration, discovery and cross-cultural exchange. The interface is also an explorative model for how AI might be used in museology and art historical research. #### Introduction I'm very pleased to introduce the presenters from the MAP Academy in Bengalaru. This remarkable organisation has gathered an expansive collection of images globally which it uses to offer free teaching modules for those interested to learn about art history, including Indian textiles. Importantly, this has also empowered a new generation researchers that we'll hear from today. They've been helped by Microsoft, who have provided algorithms to guide users through their collection. Using the familiar garden metaphor, knowledge is like the honey collected by bees from the various plants. It is an enduring product that records the scents of different flowers. But beyond its value for the hive itself, bees play a critical role sustaining garden through cross-polination. In the crafts, one of our most elaborate hives of knowledge has been the encyclopedia, featuring all the various craft techniques of the world. Our own Knowledge House for Craft is based on an alternative framework, the Google knowledge graph, which organically grows interconnections like weaving a web. We've heard a lot recently about artificial intelligence with the popularity of ChatGPT, which, extending a metaphor, is like the swarm with its own self-organising intelligence. While we may be critical of loss of agency, letting machines think for us, if used thoughtfully it can be a useful tool. Pooja Savansukha spoke about INTERWOVEN + AI + the purpose of the workshop. Mandara Vishwanath introduced the platform + how it was built, the tools used, and take the audience through how to build a journey on the platform. The presentation included a description of the extensive labour involved in labelling images. The system of artificial intelligence depended on humans initially labelling visual patterns that could later provide a reference for figures, motifs, objects and patterns. Despite the autonomous seeming nature of the knowledge machine, at its base is extensive human intelligence. Many of the images in the system were from Western insitutions. MAP had found it more difficult to use images from Indian museums and collections. This was partly because not as much had been digitised. But also there was a greater wariness about sharing this information. After the breakout rooms, there was much discussion about the politics of the Interwoven knowledge base. This reflected a desire to have greater say in the system and the outcome of the journeys that are produced. #### The journeys constructed during the workshop - https://interwoven.map-india.org/journey?q=MTk2NjM1LDE5MDE0NiwxOTA0NzA%3D - https://interwoven.map-india.org/journey?q=MTk4MjM2LDE5NzU1NCwxOTcxNTYsMTk3MTU4LDE1OTc2MSwxNTA5NzksMTU5MjMzLDE1MTA4NCwxNTg5MDQ%3D - https://interwoven.map-india.org/journey?q=MTk3ODgxLDE2MTA5MywxNTkzMDgsMTg3NjA3LDE4ODA0OSwxNTg2NjM%3D - https://interwoven.map-india.org/journey?q=MTk2NjM1LDE4NjQ4NSwxODc2NzgsMTYyODEw <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eGqrZVA3f9M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>